Matt's an unexpected Father
by LisaW1967
Summary: This is a new Twist to Matt Camden's life. He finds out he is a father to twins who are almost 10 years old and Matt and Sarah are divorcing There is some crossover characters from a little known show from the 80's seven brides for seven brothers and later on crossover characters for Lisa's family from a soap opera PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK FEEL FREE TO REVIEW
1. Chapter 1

**Matt's a father**

**a new twist on how Matt's life would be**

**Prologue**

**Matt's 17th Birthday April 23rd 1997**

He had gotten up knowing he would spend the day with Lisa. She was the love of his life. She may have been a year older than him but it didn't matter He just knew she was his soul mate. He opened his top draw and pulled out the ring he had saved every penny he earned since Christmas including all his Christmas money. He was going to ask her to marry him. His parents only met her a few times even though he had been seeing her for well over a year. He was still afraid to let his parents know how serious they were. Lisa was picking him up at 9 am and they were going to be together his entire Birthday His family did the family get together the night before because he had asked if he could be with his girlfriend today. he waited patiently, He had hoped she was feeling better. The beginning of the week she has strep throat but was put on medication, some very strong antibiotics. He had called her last night she said that she was OK by now even though she was still on the meds.

He went downstairs when he saw her pull up. Lisa arrived a little before 9 am. She was in a different car he had never seen it before Well except it looked like the picture of car he had on his wall, He went out to meet her, it was the same car on his wall the Mustang convertible.

"Nice car he said"

"Do you want to drive?" She asked

"Yeah this is sweet when did you get this"

Lisa slid over and he hopped in the driver seat. " I looked forever for this car for a while I finally got it 2 days ago, it has only 800 original miles everything is factory installed but brand practically brand new because the person I got it from only used it as a show piece Only thing brand new is the sound system."

" Wow this car is incredible" Matt said

"I am glad you like the car because it is yours Happy Birthday Mattie" she leaned in and kissed him

"Mine this is mine how can you ... I mean..."

"Come on Mattie you know I have money and I love you. Oh and here is a gas card for $500 an the insurance is paid for a year. its all registered in your name."

He sat there in disbelief

"Oh I also have something else for you," she handed him a bank book, "for college Mattie, I know you want to be a doctor and college isn't cheap this is so you never have to worry about paying for it."

He opened the savings book, "there has to be a misprint." he said

She looked at the book " No it is the correct amount

"Lisa that's too much the car, and now this, four hundred thousand dollars."

"Mattie it's no big deal for me I told you I come from money. My grandfather left me a very SIZEABLE amount when he died and I want you to fulfill your dreams and I do not want lack of money to be an obstacle "

He sat there in shaking his head he was in shock. She took his face in her hands and kissed him again. Then they took off for breakfast. They spent the day on the Santa Monica Pier they grabbed an early dinner at 4pm, after they ate dinner

Matt asked "hey do you want ice cream?"

"Not a whole bowl but if you get some I will eat some of yours."

He got a banana split and shared it with her Actually she ate most of they were done they left the restaurant and then she looked at him kind of funny.

"You know Mattie you need a hair cut its way to long look there is a hair salon open over there will you cut it?"

"You want me to cut it"

Oh please it will look so good"

He did and it was much shorter than he had worn it as long as he could remember but he did it for her he would do anything for her

and then they went and rented a motel room he knew how he wanted to celebrate his birthday and she knew what he, what they wanted as well. He brought her in the room and kissed her slowly, then pulled the box out of his pocket and got down on one knee,

" I love you Lisa I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Will you marry me?"

"Yes oh yes" she answered

He slid the ring on her slender finger he lifted her up and placed her on the bed, Neither one of them had ever had sex before and they were nervous.

"I know we have been talking about being together, Lisa are you protected"

"Yes I am on the pill so don't worry."

He put the tape player on in the room and their song was the first song on the tape he wanted to make love to her while it was playing it was Celine Dion's If you asked me to, He knew it was Lisa's favorite song They slowly undressed each other and explored each others bodies. Then with a quick thrust he possessed her she only felt the pain for an instant then ecstasy he moved inside her until they both came to their release.

They wanted to spend the night together, but he was only 17 and still living under his parents roof, so reluctantly they left at 9 pm he dropped her home they agreed not to say anything about their engagement He walked her to the door kissed her again,

"I love you" Matt told her

"I love you too" She replied.

He drove home, his mom and dad were in the living room waiting up for him they heard a car pull up and Eric went to the door. He saw the car when Matt walked in "Whose car is that?"

"Mine, Lisa bought it for me for my birthday all insured and registered."

Annie heard the conversation and looked out the door "nice car but it is a little too expensive a gift,"

"She wouldn't take no for an answer look at it this way now I don't have to borrow your car anymore" Well we will talk about this tomorrow. Did you have a nice day, Great, we went to the Santa Monica pier and She also as you can see got me to cut my hair"

'It looks really nice Matt," his mother told him

Matt neglected to tell them about the engagement, and simply said I am kinda tired I am going to bed.

Over the next couple of months Lisa and Matt spent all their free time together they spent many more intimate moments She also started to get to know the Camdens. They eventually told them about the engagement. But because Matt was still only going to be a senor in High school and His parents were a little uncomfortable with her. and the fact she was just finishing her freshman year in college. She had Graduated high school when she was 17 She was in college and living on her own. However since Matt had seemed to be very responsible and seemed to have really grown up since starting to date her his grades had considerably improved this past year Which was most definitely due to her influence and now with the engagement, they accepted their relationship. Lisa and Matt tentatively set a wedding date for next June after he graduated. She let her family in New York know about the engagement as well One of her brothers, Ridge, who frequently came out to California to see her came out and spent some time with her and Matt

**A Devastating reality**

She woke up again not feeling well, it had been that way for the past week and her period was late, she bought a home pregnancy test she didn't think she could be pregnant because she was on the pill but she want to make herself feel better when it would come up negative. She took the test and waited 5 minutes it was positive she took a second test that too was positive She went to the OB/GYN and confirmed her pregnancy. She knew she couldn't do this to Matt he was only going to be a senior in high school. They had eventually wanted kids with together but not for 4-5 years, Having a baby now was too soon at least for him. She loved him she couldn't do this to him. She knew what she had to do.

Lisa avoided Matt's phone calls for for 2 weeks. She put her house up for sale and already had an offer and the sale was pending. She had just gotten back from seeing her parents in New York, They were furious with her they wanted her to have an abortion and since she refused they or mostly her mum wanted nothing more to do with her. Her dad just sat there like he always did and said nothing. She was on her way back to the house Matt called her cell phone again, she ignored it.

This was the end of the second week Matt had enough of not seeing her, he knew something was wrong. He drove to her house, he pulled up and saw the for sale sign with a smaller sign attached that said sale pending. Looking at the sign Matt said to himself" What the hell is this?"

Lisa wasn't home yet but he had a key he walked in and found her house practically all packed. Lisa came home a short time later, Matt was sitting at her kitchen table.

"What the hell are you doing" he demanded "When were you going to tell me you were selling the house and why? Whats going on Lisa?"

She walked past him and kept her back to him she didn't say anything she was started to get choked up. He could see that she was upset

"Lisa look at me" he said in a quiet voice.

She wouldn't ,she knew if she looked into those eyes she wouldn't be able to do this. She loved him to much to saddle him with a baby. She had to end it now

"Mattie you should go I can't see you anymore." She barely could get the words out.

"What?... Why?... We are engaged, I love you why are you doing this ?"He said as he started to cry

"Mattie you need to go" She repeated. She kept her back to him she wouldn't look at him

"No I won't leave , you owe me an explanation. Why are you so upset? We are suppose to be getting married next Spring "

"No we are not we can't now I wish things were different" She said as she took the engagement ring off her finger she turned and with out looking at him put it on the table in front of him she walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. He picked up the ring

"Lisa, stop you can't do this you don't mean what you are saying. I love you I know you love me I know you do Please " He pleaded with her over and over again.

"Mattie you need to go."

"No I need you, I can't live without you why are you doing this to us?"

She said nothing" He tried to make her turn to face him she wouldn't her jerked her body making her face him, he saw she was crying,

"See I know you don't want to do this," he said as he caressed her face "What your doing makes no sense."

He made her kiss him. She melted into him as she always did But then she jerked free she had to keep her resolve

"No" she said "You have to go Mattie" she firmly said "Oh God Lisa please no", She wouldn't give in He finally relented and walked out the door. She watched him get in his car and drive away it was the hardest thing she had ever done was to let him go she sank to the floor and started to cry.

Matt drove towards home devastated. He was crying so hard he could barely see the road. He pulled over and took the ring out of his pocket. "Oh god why would she do this to me, I don't want to live with out her I want her back WHY WHY WHY" he cried out.

He took the ring and put it on the gold chain he had around his neck and started again to drive towards home. He got home and pulled in to the driveway and fell apart, Lucy and Mary were walking home and up the driveway and saw him. They tried to talk to him but he was too hysterical to even respond to them. They ran into the house in the Kitchen where their parents were

"Mom, dad , Matt pulled in the driveway something is wrong he is in the car still and he is hysterically crying.

They ran out of the house and got to the car Matt's head was on the steering wheel and he was still inconsolable.

Annie put her hand on his shoulder, "Whatever it is, it will be alright calm down"

" No...no it will never be... alright.. never" he still wept"

He couldn't even talk anymore he was so upset. Eric helped him out of the car where Matt collapsed to the ground in a fetal position and cried even more. They had never ever seen him like this

"Eric we can't leave him on the ground like this" Annie told him

They tried to get Matt up Finally Eric knelt down and cradled him and lifted him up and carried him in the house and up to his bedroom. Annie stayed with him finally he fell asleep She didn't want to leave him incase he awoke in the middle of the night. Sometime after midnight he awoke and saw his mother sitting in the chair next to him with her eyes closed.

"Mom" he said

She opened her eyes. "Matt are you ok?"

" No I am not" and he started to sob again He told her what had transpired between Lisa and Him.

"Matt that makes no sense she adores you why would she hurt you like this?"

"I don't know, Even her reaction was wrong its like someone or something was making her do it."

Annie crawled in Bed with her son and held him until he fell asleep.

A couple of days passed and Matt tried to call her and the line was disconnected and so was her cell phone. He drove by the house and she was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

**Fast forward June of 2007**

"Mom where back "Ethan said as he came in an slammed the door,

Emma came in right behind him "We are starving and before you ask we did our chores, We mucked the stalls and fed the animal." "

Good go get washed up." She looked lovingly at her children It always amazed her how much they looked like their father she had seen pictures of Matt at their age and Ethan was identical and Emma looked exactly like Ruthie Lisa yelled to the twins,"Are your uncles going to be in for supper or are they heading home, I know Becky and Kelley and Hannah, will all have dinner?" Lisa asked "

"Well Uncle Brian and Uncle Crane are staying Uncle Brian will probably stay overnight in the bunk house. They are worried about that injured bear is still in the area according to the sheriff, Emma said.

"I think uncle Adam and every one else are heading back home to the McFadden ranch" Ethan told her

"Oh Ok Thanks" Lisa replied

The men she called their Uncles were actually her first cousins. They were her family now She had moved to Truckee CA in northern CA when she found out she was pregnant her grandfather had owned a ranch that hadn't been used in years and when he died he left it to her. It was now called the Forester Camden Ranch she had given her children Matt's last name her ranch was adjacent to her Aunt and Uncle Bill and Peggy McFadden, Aunt Peggy was her father's sister they had 7 sons Adam, Brian, Crane, Daniel, Evan, Ford, and Guthrie Her own parents didn't want anything to do with her and told her to have an abortion so she had no contact with them and Aunt Peggy had called and told them when she delivered her twins on December 20th 1997 But they wanted nothing to do with her and her parents had never told her brothers and sister what had happened to her. Lisa had tried to call Matt the night she went into labor she desperately wanted him with her but his mother Annie didn't want Lisa to speak with him after she had "ripped his heart out" is the way she put it and wouldn't let her talk to him Annie hung up on her before she could ever tell her about the babies she was in labor with. All Lisa had were her aunt and uncle and her cousins. Unfortunately Her aunt and uncle were killed in a plane crash a few years ago which left the older McFadden boys to look after the younger ones She missed her aunt and uncle a lot they helped her so much with her children and even watched them when she went back to college at southern Nevada university and she finished her nursing degree and started another major which she would need to run the ranch. she needed a degree in agriculture and animal graduated with honors and had managed with their help and her cousins help to make a real successful and profitable ranch " Lisa was lost in thought when Brian and Crane came in and the screen door slammed be hind them the door slamming brought Lisa back to the present

"Something sure smells good"" Brian and Crane both said I am staying in the Bunk house. Brian said " I know there have been wolves in the area and there is that issue of the injured bear"

" I can handle a shot gun Brian" Lisa said "and so can the kids," She hated to impose all the time

"What you need to do is find a man" Crane said "if we weren't related I would marry you myself" he said has he kissed her on the cheek

"Well I think your wife Becky ah wouldn't like that to much" she replied.

Then Brian said" You know you are considered the catch of the County Lisa"

She just waved him off oh "Knock it off you know I am not interested. I fell in love once I have always told you their could never be anyone else for me. Matt was and still is and always will be the love of my life"

"Are you talking about are daddy" Emma asked as she walked into the room with Ethan

"Yes baby I am" Lisa

"Mom you told us before he never knew about us do you think he would love us if he knew about us." Ethan asked.

"I am sure he would but its complicated you know that, He is married to someone else now from what I heard he married her 5 years ago plus he lives all the way in New York"

"Me and Ethan really want to meet him mom" Emma said

"I know I have to think about it ok" She hugged them both.

**New York Columbia University Medical Center**

Sarah entered the Doctors lounge to plead one more time with her soon to be ex husband.

"Matt, Doctor Anderson told me you would be in here can't we please talk?"

"What else is there to say" He said angrily "Its just about over by this time next week we will have been before the judge and our divorce will be final if you will only sign the documents."

"I want us to work on our marriage more" Sarah said,

He swung around to her angry eyes met her pleading eyes, "Maybe we could have worked on it before you did what you did, I know I never totally gave our marriage a shot because I always had a place in my heart for my first love who to this day I still strong feelings for her, But you ended our marriage when you did what you did."

"Matt I am sorry but given the state of our marriage was so volatile anyway how could we bring a baby into this relationship?" Sarah asked

"I will never forgive you for having an abortion, you killed our baby, just sign the damn papers so we can be done with it already."

He stormed passed her and out of the lounge. He ran into Dr. Anderson

"Hey Matt, did Sarah find you?"

"Yeah" he said angrily

"Hey don't bite my head off its not me you are angry at"

"Sorry I just wish she would sign the papers so I can get on with my life."He replied.

"So have you figured out where you are going to be working. I know you and she were at one point going to move to Glen Oak and open a practice together, I know she still is so where does that leave you, I mean we love having you here and we have asked you to stay but you still haven't given us a decision yet?" Dr. Anderson said

"I am still trying to figure that out but I will stay until I figure out what is next I just need more time."

**Glen Oak**

"Hey Kevin I just got off the phone with Richard Anderson the mayor of a small rural community in a place Called Truckee way up north in Northern California Ranch country about 30 miles from Reno" Said Lucy

"Oh" said Kevin " What were you doing talking to him?"

"Well you know how at one point we were going to move to Crossroads but that fell through, well seems the mayor of Crossroads is Friends with the Mayor of Truckee" She replied "and they are with out a minister, he retired a few months ago and they are also looking for more law enforcement officers in the sheriff department, He wants us to come and visit and he wants me to do Sunday sermon next Sunday to get the feel of the place, There is a small parsonage attached to the Church which would be fine for the time being for the 4 of us."

Kevin got up and handed their newest addition their son Nathanial to Lucy and kissed her "I think that would be a terrific idea call him back and tell him we want to visit".

She called the mayor back "Hi Mayor Anderson this is Lucy Kinkirk, I was talking to Kevin and he thinks visiting Truckee is a wonderful idea we just have to make the appropriate travel plans but we hope to be there either Wednesday or Thursday."

" Great I will look forward to meeting you and your family"

"Well it will probably be just Kevin and me I will see if My parents can watch our 2 children at least for the first visit"

"Then I can't wait to meet you and Kevin. See you soon."

She hung up and called her mother He mother agreed to watch Savannah and Nathaniel while they went to Truckee She made the appropriate travel plans and she and Kevin packed They arrived at the Truckee lake Tahoe airport early Thursday morning and rented a car that would take them to Truckee.

**Truckee**

"Mom What are we doing today we already did our chores for the morning and we are bored" Emma whined

It was Thursday June 14th, "Only the first week of summer vacation and you are both bored already, well you can go into town with me I have to pick up some things at the general store and somethings at the Agway." Lisa told them

"If we go into help will you take us to Marie's shop to get an ice cream soda Ethan asked.

"Yes if you are good I will take you" Lisa replied

They headed from their ranch into town. Kevin and Lucy had just arrived at city hall and mayor Anderson was outside waiting for them he gave them small tour and took them to the church they met several of the parishioners After they were done

The mayor asked, "Would you like to get something to eat or how about coffee?, We can go to Marie's then Later Kevin can talk to Sheriff McKinney"

"Sure that would be great" Lucy replied. "You know I really Like it here I think Kevin and I would fit in really well here,"

" Now I wish we could fill one more position that will soon be vacant you wouldn't happen to know of a doctor looking for work Our Old Doc Hansen has been wanting to retire but hasn't yet because he needs someone to take his place. The mayor told them as they walked over to Marie's

Lisa and the twins were done with their errands and headed to Marie's as promised, they walked in and got a booth near the Jukebox. Can we have some quarters to play some music?" Emma asked

"Sure here are 2 dollars one for you and one for Ethan no fighting on who gets to pick the songs first Now go get quarters from the cashier."

Lisa sat back in the booth and the waitress poured her a cup of coffee She sat back and closed her eyes for a minute She thought about her children's request to see their father, "_How am I ever going to do that_" she thought to herself The Cashier was near the entrance as Emma and Ethan were waiting for their quarters Kevin and Lucy entered with the mayor

Lisa and the kids were well know because of how active she was in the community and because of the size both her and her cousins ranches When The mayor walked in he immediately saw the Camden kids and they saw him Lucy and Kevin saw them too and couldn't help but see the resemblance of the kids to Matt and Ruthie it was as if they were clones,

"Hi Ya mayor" said the twins in Unison

He gave them a hug "Hi Emma Hi Ethan Your not in here by yourselves are you?" asked the Mayor,

"Nah we are here with mama" Ethan said "She is over there"Emma pointed to the booth she was sitting at. Her back was to them and she was looking at the menu.

"Well I would like you to meet Lucy and Kevin Kinkirk if they like our town both they and their two children will be moving here she will be the minister and he will work for the sheriff Lucy and Kevin I would like you to meet Emma and Ethan Camden I will take you to meet their mother Lisa in a minute,"

"Did you say Camden?" Lucy asked

"Yup that's our last name but our mom's is Forester she and our dad never married but we have his last name" Ethan said Matter of factly.

The waitress handed the kids the change "Come on Emma lets go put money in the Juke box then go back to mama to order out Ice cream soda's"

With that they were off, "Something wrong Rev Kinkirk?" the mayor asked

Kevin saw her expression too he knew why

"Can we meet the kids mother would you introduce her to us?"Lucy said with a shaky voice"

"Yes sure , We can sit in the booth next to theirs" replied the mayor

Lucy put her purse in the chair Lisa looked up," Hi mayor how are you today?"

They way he was standing Lisa didn't get a view of Lucy just Kevin,

"I just saw the twins, boy they have so much energy, Well anyway I want you to meet possibly, hopefully our new minister and her husband Lucy and Kevin Kinkirk they currently live in Glen Oak."

Lisa looked at Lucy even though she was a little girl the last time she saw her Lisa immediately knew who she was. "Nice to see you again Lucy and Nice to meet you Kevin" Lisa said in a shaky voice

"Nice to see you too" Lucy said

"So you too know each other". the mayor asked

"Yes I used to live in Glen Oak before I moved here" Lisa replied There was Garth Brooks music playing from the Juke box and the twins came back to the table

" I already ordered you both your Ice cream soda's they should be right up."

"Thanks mom" They both said

"Can you wait here a minute I have to use the rest room I will be right back" Lisa said

"Yeah I think I need to use it too" Lucy added, they both got up and went there once they got in the rest room

Lucy said to her "the Mayor Introduced your kids as Emma and Ethan Camden? and given the family resemblance , My God he looks like Matt and she looks like Ruthie I am safe to assume they are Matt's"

"Yes they are Lucy" Lisa replied

"So that's why you took off that summer, You know he was devastated. Why didn't you just tell him or tell the family when you tried all those times to get in touch with him?"

"I was scared Luce and I didn't want to saddle him with Kids at such a young age, he was still in high school, and then when I finally realized I had made a mistake and he needed to know I tried to call, but every time I tried to call over the years your parents wouldn't let me get anywhere near him the last time I tried I got Ruthie who had informed me had just left on his honey moon with his new wife Sarah. How could I tell him then I didn't want to wreck his marriage Lucy"

Lucy hugged her "I am so sorry things happened the way they did but Matt needs to know about his kids. Especially now, He is in the middle of a divorce actually they go to court next week, to be honest he never got over you we all knew it. He knew it too but he married Sarah anyway." Lucy said

"Oh Lucy, He will hate me for not telling him" Lisa said with tears in her eyes "But I suppose he will have to be told I know I can't expect you to keep this kind of secret. To be honest I have been asking God for a way to tell him. Recently the kids have been asking me to contact him. They know that their father doesn't know about them but they have been asking me a lot about him. I haven't known how to handle it. They want to meet him so much. I haven't been able to know how to or had the courage to contact him, Maybe you and Kevin coming here was an answer to a prayer." Lisa said

" Do you want me to tell him I ran in to you and you need to talk with him? Who knows maybe he would move here to He has been trying to make his mind up on what his next move would be He and Sarah were suppose to open a practice in Glen Oak together. Sarah is still going but for Obvious reasons he isn't Your mayor said Dr. Hanson is retiring who knows Maybe Matt could take over to be close to his kids" Lucy said

"Lucy you are getting way ahead of your self we can't live in fantasy land He doesn't even know anything yet. Well we better get out there they probably think we flushed ourselves down the toilet we have been gone for so long" Lisa laughed

They went back to the booths. "What took you so long" Ethan asked as he sipped on his Ice cream soda

"You better drink yours mama or it will melt" Emma said

Lisa and Lucy sat down

"Well since you are back I wonder if I could take a walk with Kevin and have him meet the sheriff. I saw his jeep pull up." the mayor asked

"No go ahead we will be in here for a while" Lucy said they headed out the door,

"Listen kids I have something I have to tell you," Lisa said as she looked at Lucy... "Lucy is actually your Aunt Lucy before she married Kevin her last name was Camden too. She is your daddy's younger sister"

Their Eyes went wide in amazement,

" Your are daddy's sister?" Emma said

"Will he want to meet us will you tell him" Ethan asked

"yes to both of your questions" Lucy answered" I will call him tonight although telling him right away about you isn't my job But I will tell him I saw your mother and that they need to talk. Then if he hesitates too much or puts off wanting to see her I will then tell him about you both" Lucy told them. "Your uncle Kevin and I will be staying at the parsonage tonight I will call him from there and let you know tomorrow."

They spent the rest of the day together Lucy took Kevin aside when he got back and told him who Lisa and the twins were although he sort of suspected already with their last name being Camden. They Left the mayor and headed over to the parsonage and Lisa and the twins headed back to the ranch before they parted ways for the evening they exchanged cell phone Numbers and Lisa gave her the number to the Ranch. They got into the parsonage ate some dinner they brought back from Marie's Kevin went into the Living room and Lucy sat at the table and dialed Matt's cell phone.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Lucy calls Matt**

She dialed his cell. After a couple rings he answered

"WHAT" he answered in an angry voice

"Hey big brother don't get all pissed off its just me Lucy"

"Sorry Luce its just been a bad day I am so tired of fighting with Sarah you know I am just glad it is over our court date was bumped up Our divorce was final today instead of next week."

"Oh Matt I am sorry, She said

"I am not I am relieved. Now I just have to figure out what to do with my life." He said

"Well maybe this isn't the best time for me to call with this although I promised them I would talk to you it can wait,"

" No Luce go ahead " Matt replied  
"You know how Kevin and I were at one point going to the church in Crossroads but that fell through, Well another small town mayor contacted us. He knew the Mayor from Crossroads this mayor was from Truckee California, Anyway we are here visiting and you will never guess who lives here. We saw her in a coffee shop I actually spent a good portion of the Day with her."

"Who" he asked

"Lisa Forester" she replied

He dropped the phone.

"Matt...Matt... Are you there?" she asked,

He picked the phone back up, "I am sorry Lucy I was so shocked I dropped the phone, You saw my Lisa. Oh my God how is she is she ok, did she tell you why she left me..." he went off rapid firing all kinds of questions not even giving her time to answer. Finally she cut him off

"Whoa Matt slow down Yes I now know a lot of why. But I think that is for her to tell you"

"God Lucy I still Love her, I know you know that Its not the only reason I couldn't make my marriage work to Sarah but it is a good part of it,"

"I know Matt" Lucy said, "She still loves you too, in fact she told me she has never even dated anyone since you"

"Oh God Lucy I have to see her I am going to hang up I will catch the next flight to the area I am not working for the next few days anyway I will call you when I get to the Truckee area,"

"But Matt wait you need to know something,"

He hung up before she was able to tell him. She tried to call him back but he didn't answer. He looked on line to book a flight from LaGuardia to Truckee Tahoe airport He could catch the red eye and be there in the morning he booked it on line and went to pack He got to the airport to check in an hour and a half before the flight was ready to leave the flight would leave at 1 am even though it was seven and a half hours with stop over because of the time change he would land about 5:30 am pacific time

**Matt arrives in Truckee,**

His flight was delayed and he got in at 6 am he rented a car with a GPS and programed it for Truckee there was only one church and a parsonage was attached he hoped that Lucy and Kevin were there He left by about 6:30 He made the 45 minute Drive to Truckee. He found the church and went to the side where the parsonage was, he went to the back door and knocked it was about 8 am he hoped it wasn't to early A sleepy Kevin answered the door, Kevin was shocked to see his brother in law there. He looked at Matt who looked if he hadn't slept in days and was a but disheveled

"Come on in Matt" he said "Lucy is in the shower do you want some coffee and Breakfast?"

"Yeah I can get the coffee," Matt said. He went and poured himself a cup.

Kevin called out to Lucy "Matt just got here."

Matt and Kevin were just sitting down to breakfast when Lucy came out Kevin got up and got his wife s plate of food and poured her coffee,

Lucy hugged Matt and looked at him, "When was the last time you slept you look exhausted."

"I slept a little on the plane"

"Well its still early catch a quick nap and take a shower In the mean time I will call Lisa and tell her you are in town, I know mornings are very busy for her, she has a ranch to run and has a lot to do especially in the morning,"

"Lisa is a rancher, My little Lisa Wow I am in shock," Matt said,

"Yeah you will be shocked about a lot of things" Kevin said,

Lucy kicked him under the table "What's that suppose to mean?" Matt asked

Lucy replied "You just really need to talk to her,"

Matt finished his food and lay down on the couch. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep or Lucy thought he was asleep he wasn't , Lucy went outside to call Lisa on her Cell. The living room window was open She called the ranch phone it rang once,

Ethan answered "Camden Forester Ranch"

"Hi Ethan its Aunt Lucy is you mom around?"

"Yeah I will go get her here's Emma you can talk to her while I get mama from the chicken coop"

Emma picked up the phone as Ethan went outside to get Lisa " Hi Aunt Lucy are we going to see you today? Did you call my daddy like you promised?"

"Yes I called your Daddy Emma, that's what I need to talk to your mama about He flew in last night and got here this morning , But he doesn't know about you and Ethan yet."

"Oh Here is mama Bye aunt Lucy, She handed Lisa the phone, before she could say anything Emma told her "Aunt Lucy said daddy is here in Truckee," and she ran off to tell her brother

"Lucy? is what Emma says true is Mattie is here? "

"Yeah he is asleep on the couch in the living room, When I told him I saw you when I spoke to him on the phone last night he told me he needed to see you he hung up before I could tell him anything more, so I couldn't stop him he doesn't know about the twins yet,"

Matt came out behind her with tears in his eye, He startled Lucy,

" Matt I thought you were asleep, she said "Oh God how much did you hear"

He had heard the whole conversation from when she was talking the Emma and Ethan to the when Lisa got on the phone .

"Everything" he replied "Or at least your part of the conversation I am going to ask this even though I think I know the answer. Who are Emma and Ethan?"

Lucy couldn't respond.

"Lucy tell me" he asked her again in a pleading but not angry voice.

Lisa could hear him "Oh god Lucy he knows,

"Yes I think he does" Lucy replied

"Let me talk to him Lucy" Lisa said

"Maybe you should sit on the steps Matt, and she handed him the phone and sat down beside him.

" Lisa?"

"Oh Mattie you heard everything didn't you?"

"Yes" he replied in a whisper "I need to hear you say it though"

"I am so sorry Mattie, this is not how I wanted you to find out, Emma and Ethan are twins they are 9 1/2 they were born your senior year in high school and yes they are your children. I left that summer because I found out I was pregnant, I couldn't do that to you I know we were engaged and someday wanted to have had kids but not so soon. I didn't want to ruin your dreams of being a doctor. I loved you too much for that, I was an emotional wreck. The day I broke up with you was the day I had gotten back from seeing my parents in New York. my mum told me to have an abortion. I could never have done that to our child Later I found out children."

Matt thought to himself" How different Lisa was from Sarah who didn't think twice about having an abortion because the child was inconvenient"

then he heard Lisa continue "I haven't spoken to my parents since then. I am so sorry Mattie, Before they were born I tried to call you but your dad wouldn't let me talk to you he said I had hurt you too much already and to stay away from you I also called on December 20th 1997 when I went into labor and got you mom she told me pretty much the same thing. I never had a chance to tell them I was pregnant they hung up on me. Over the years I got various members of your family on the phone and none of them would let me talk to you. or tell me how to get in contact with you. I understand they didn't want me to hurt you again. The last time I phoned I got Ruthie who informed me that you had just gotten married and you were away on your honey moon. After that I gave up trying to contact you, I didn't want to wreck your marriage."

Matt was openly weeping at this point, Lisa heard him crying and thought he must definitely hate her.

**"**I know you must hate me**"** Lisa continued "But your kids want sooo much to know you. They want their daddy in their life. Please don't let how you feel about me interfere with your relationship I hope you will have with them" She pleaded with him.

"Oh Lisa, yes I am angry and hurt at the missed time with my children and at the fact you didn't tell me when you first found out , but you did try to tell me and my family stopped you from contacting me But hate you? How could you ever you think I could ever hate you Oh God Lisa I still Love you I still want you. Its been 10 years and I still have the same overwhelming feelings for you I still want to marry you. Just tell me you still want me, still Love me and I will never leave you."

Lisa was crying at this point, Emma and Ethan walked in Emma asked "are you ok Mama why are you crying are you talking to daddy"

"I am ok guys can you go back outside and feed the chickens for me for now I need to be on the phone a little while longer"

They reluctantly did as she asked I am sorry for the interruption Matt,

"Was that my daughter?"

"Yes it was I sent her and Ethan to feed the chickens while I was on the phone. Oh Mattie I have missed you so very much, I do still love you I always have, There has never ever been any one else for me I couldn't." She cried as she told him,

"How do I get to your house I need to take a shower but after that I will be there I need to see you I need to hold you.

"Its the Camden Forester Ranch any one in town know how to get here."

"Did you say Camden Forester Ranch?"

"I did Emma and Ethan have your last name So both last names are used its only right."

As they were talking Brian and Crane walked in the front door,

" Hey are you ok Ethan said you were on the phone crying" Crane asked

"Yes I am Fine I will explain later." She told them

"Well we are headed into town" Brian told her to get some supplies and the new parts for the tractor we should be back in a couple of hours Ford is here to help if you need him he is mucking the stalls right now, he will go back to the circle 7 ranch when we get back."

"Actually there is something I want you to do before you head back here. Could you go over to the parsonage so someone can follow you back here to the ranch so he doesn't get lost" Lisa asked.

"Yeah sure no problem. Who is it?" Crane asked,

Lisa Hesitated, "Its a long story as to how he is here I will fill you in later, but the person Is Matt Camden the twins father he wants to see them and me.

"Holy Shit" Brian said "Yes you do have to tell us later the WHOLE story, well we will head out now see you later and meet him on our way back and bring him to the ranch."

She went back to the phone, "Did you hear me talking to My cousins Mattie? "

"Yeah I did so they should be here in an hour and a half or so?" Yes" she replied

"Ok I will go and shower and shave and be ready to follow them when they get here. And Lisa,"

"Yes" she said

"I LOVE YOU" He told her

"I LOVE YOU TOO" She replied and they hung up Lucy was still sitting next to Matt. As he got up so did she and she hugged him

"I know you want to see Lisa but do you care if Kevin and I follow you out to the ranch too or do you want to be alone?"

"Do you mind if it is just me that goes out for now Luce I need to see her, to see them alone first then maybe this afternoon we can get together,"

"Ok Matt"

He went in the bathroom looked in the mirror, and thought to himself "_Boy do I look a mess_"

He showered shaved and put on some clean clothes and some boots he had brought with him. He looked at his watch and thought to himself "_wow I still have 45 minutes or more before they get here_"

Since the church and Parsonage was in the center of town he took a walk down main street the small stores were open by now and to his surprise he saw a small jewelry store. He stood in front of it and looked in the window, He saw a display of different things and then he saw it, he knew he had to buy it for her, He walked in and looked at the size it was a 7 1/2 just her size if he remembered correctly it was a beautiful 1 1/2 carat Diamond solitaire white gold almost like the one he bought her before but that one had only been a carat He Held out his credit card and told the man behind the counter he would take that one. He walked out the store 20 minutes later and back to the parsonage, Crane and Brian hadn't gotten there yet. Kevin and Lucy were sitting at the kitchen table drinking coffee and going over paper work and figuring out if and when they would move they were pretty sure they would take both positions.

"Hey Matt what do you have in the bag" Lucy asked

"I know I haven't seen her yet and Hell I just got my divorce from Sarah yesterday but as I walked by the window of the store and saw it I had to buy it," He pulled the little black box out of the bag and opened it,

" You bought Lisa an engagement ring?" Kevin asked in utter amazement

" To replace the one I had originally bought her 10 years ago Matt replied

" So you are definitely going to be with her, What about your job in New York?" Lucy asked

"I hadn't given my decision to the head of the medical department yet about whether or not I was going to stay on You know I was originally going back to Glen Oak with Sarah but well we know where that idea went along with my marriage so I was kind of in Limbo, I guess is I am staying here I need to find a job huh?" Matt said

"I may have an answer for that. However it wouldn't be just OB/GYN it would be more country doctor general practitioner, that also delivers babies when the need arises, would you be up for that," Lucy asked him

"Yeah tell me more Lucy"

"Well when we got here we were talking to the mayor he said that if Kevin and I stayed we would be solving almost all their problems and then jokingly asked us if either of us knew a doctor that would be willing to take over so that Old Doc Hanson could retire So if you took that job over he could retire and he and his wife could move like they wanted to Santa Barbara to be with their kids they would sell their house to us and you could live at the ranch with Lisa."

Kevin looked at Lucy "You just have the whole thing solved" He laughed "You get more and more like your dad everyday"

They all laughed There was a knock at the door, Kevin went to answer the door,

It was Brian and Crane, " We are looking for Matt Camden?" Brian said

"Yeah that's my brother in law" He called Matt "Hey Matt are you expecting someone,

"Oh that must be Brian and Crane" Matt said to Lucy " Yeah Kevin, I will be right there,"

He put the ring back in the box and put it securely in his pocket and finished his coffee " I will call you later Lucy. While I am gone do you think you could call around and find out about that position to take over for that doctor ,because I will take it."

"Sure Matt see you later," He grabbed his keys and he walked out to the front where Kevin was talking to Brian and Crane

"Oh here he is" Kevin said. Kevin patted him on the back, "Good Luck" "Thanks Kev see you later" he followed Brian and Crane outside Brian and Crane introduced themselves

"These roads are a little tricky" Brian said as he got in the truck hey Why don't you let Crane drive your rental."

"Sure" Matt said as he handed the keys to Crane.

**Reunion**

It took them about 15 minutes to get to the Camden Forester gate. Brian got out to open the gate, He drove his truck through and had Crane follow him they stopped and got out and closed the gate again. the went down the long dirt road to the ranch when the rounded the bend what Brian saw surprised him it was the most beautiful piece of land he had ever seen and it was huge with the main ranch house on one side many different buildings another smaller house that he found out that Crane and his wife Becky lived in several bunk houses stabled barns a green house a chicken coop and it looked like there were other buildings that he couldn't quite see yet along with a ton of animals. Crane and Brian pulled up and parked in front of the main house as Matt was getting out he saw horses coming towards the main house. The sun was behind the riders so he couldn't quite make out who was on them. Lisa came out of the house and saw Matt before he saw her.

"Oh Mattie your here" she yelled to him

His heart skipped a beat when he saw her, She was more beautiful than he remembered no longer a girl but a grown woman with curves in all the right places. He ran to her and held her in his arms then stood her back from him to look at her.

" Oh Lisa I Love You" he kissed her until they were both breathless. When they finally came up for air she realized they had an audience, she felt the heat of a faint blush stained her cheeks, Brian and Crane just stood there grinning. The horses were finally close enough so he could see who the riders where A boy and a girl about 9, he figured they must be Emma and Ethan in fact he knew it was them

" God" he thought to himself "they look exactly like me well he does, she looks like Ruthie"

They dismounted their horses and tied them off they ran to their mother who had walked toward them.

Emma whispered "Is that our daddy?"

Then Ethan asked "is he happy?, I mean does he want to meet us?"

She hugged them both, "oh yes Your daddy is so happy to know he has you and he very much wants to be your daddy"

They ran over to him. He knelt down to hug them and they ran into his arms and they both kissed his cheeks,

"We love you daddy" they said

"I love you both too" Matt replied

Lisa walked over to join them and then Matt said "And I love your mother very much too"

He stood and kissed her again,

Brian interrupted the moment , "I hate to cut in ,well Crane and I have some work to do We have to relieve Ford so he can go back to circle 7 so we will see you later we will eat at Crane's I am sure Becky will feed us"

and with out waiting for a reply they grabbed the horses that the kids had been on and hopped on them and head to the stable. Lisa led Matt into the house and the kids followed behind. He sat on the couch in the main room

He asked Lisa " What's Circle 7"

"Oh that's the name of the McFadden Ranch"

Matt sat with the twins and they talked his ears off Lisa excused herself to give them some much needed time with their daddy as she went and made lunch. A short while later she had lunch ready she had made her famous chili and cornbread she put the fresh milk on the table and poured both her and Matt coffee,

"Ok Guys" she called out Lunch is ready.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Getting to know you**

Matt followed the twins into the kitchen where Lisa had the lunch all set out for the four of them

"Oh this smells so good" Matt told her

"You can't get any better than Mama's Chili and Cornbread" Emma said

"Nope you sure can't Ethan said with his mouth full

"Ethan we haven't even said grace yet" Lisa chastised him.

He swallowed his food, "Sorry Mama" he said

"Matt Do you want to do the honors,

"Sure" he replied Even though he hadn't done it in a while he was used to it because his dad was a minister so he grew up with it. They bowed their heads and held hands Matt said a blessing and they ate,

He then thought to himself _I can't believe how natural how right it this feels to be sitting here with Lisa and my children MY CHILDREN OUR CHILDREN_

He watched them interact with Lisa, laughing joking being silly so natural as breathing He has so wished he had been there from the beginning, but he knew he couldn't go back they could only go forward Lisa speaking to him brought him out of his thoughts

"Mattie do you want more?"

"Uhm Yeah sure," she Loaded his plate up again and then loaded up the twins plates a well

"Lisa this was soooo good" Matt told her after he finished his second helping

"Yeah mom is a good cook huh daddy?" Emma chimed in

" She sure is" he replied

Lisa thanked them and went to get up to clear the table

"Why don't you wait to do the dishes and come and sit with me for a while" Matt said,

Lisa Hesitated "Really Lisa they can wait," Matt said

Lisa went to protest again,

then Emma spoke up, "You sit with daddy. Me and Ethan will clear the table"

"We will?" Ethan said as he nearly choked on his milk

Emma glared at him. Then he looked at his parents lovingly looking at each other, "Oh yeah we will" he said He got up and helped his sister

Matt got up and pulled Lisa's chair out and took her hand,"Let's you and me go sit in the living room on the couch"

She sat with him real close then put her head on his shoulder.

"Oh Mattie I can't believe you are really here.

He buried his face into her blond hair and inhaled her scent. He then kissed the top of her head" I am never going to leave you I will never let you push me away again this is where I belong. "

"But you life, your job, they are in New York," Lisa said

"Not any more its not" he replied He went on to explain the state of disarray his life was in at the moment as far a career he told her of the plans he and Sarah had made before things fell apart He told her about the abortion Sarah had and that was the final straw that ended his marriage That she was going forward to work in Glen Oak which would make it impossible , Even Unbearable for him to ever live or practice in Glen Oak. So up until now he had no direction on where he wanted to practice medicine. Then he told her about what Lucy told him about Doc Hansen wanting to retire and was looking for a replacement and that he wanted the job.

"Oh Mattie that would be wonderful if you would stay here in Truckee for the kids. I know there is a small area next to the clinic a tiny living area You could use for now it had at one time or another been used as an apartment."

His heart sank,_ Lisa Doesn't want me at the ranch_," He thought to himself

He stood up and looked away from her he had tears in his eyes Lisa could clearly see that something just happened

"Mattie what's wrong" She asked

he didn't say anything or turn to her. She stood up an went to him and made him face her, She saw the tears, She wiped his tears

"What just happened what's wrong?"

"You want me to live some where else? I thought..."he didn't finish

" I only brought up that place because I wanted you to have options. I didn't know if you would feel comfortable yet with the other possibility." she told him

"I don't want to live anywhere else I want you forever he said "I want what we should have has 10 years ago, I know we can't get that time back but I don't want to waste anymore time apart from you , or the twins,"

He pulled the box out of pocket, her breath hitched, he got down on one knee and opened the box, he looked at her "I asked you to marry me once before and you said yes I am hoping you will say yes again and actually marry me this time.

"Oh Mattie this is so soon maybe too soon for Emma and Ethan, We have to consider how will they feel about this?" She didn't know they were actually secretly listening to the whole conversation until they came barreling into the room.

"Well if you saying yes to daddy all depends on what we want you to do Emma said as she looked at her brother,

Then Ethan finished the sentence " Then we say you should go for it and say yes",

Lisa Looked at Matt, Shook her head yes and started to cry as he took the ring out of the box and slid it on her finger. He kissed her long and hard then let go of her to hug his children, "We are going to be a real family" They started to talk about plans for the future but then Emma brought them back to the present

"Hey daddy What do you want to do this after noon," Emma asked him

"Well I have a few phone calls to make the first one to your Aunt Lucy, she was looking into seeing if I could get the job of Town Doctor, Dr Hansen is wanting to retire and I want to take his position so I can stay here in Truckee"

"And you will live here with us" Ethan said hopefully

"Yup I will, although I have to go back to New York for a little bit to tie up some loose ends and pack my stuff and drive back out here,so give me a few minutes and let me call Aunt Lucy."

Lisa and the twins went into the kitchen to finish cleaning up from lunch, to let Matt make his call

"I know you want to hang out with Daddy today but we still have a ranch to run I will need help in the garden Emma and you my friend talking to Ethan will need to feed the Animals and Go hose off and Brush down the horses,Especially Bright eyes," ( The mare they were taking extra care of they were waiting on hearing from another rancher that they were bidding on to get use his horse as a stud they want them to foul)

"Aw mom we wanted to maybe go trail riding with daddy," Ethan said,

"Well maybe after your chores" Lisa said "but you may want to run the idea by him first, Daddy is a city boy he may have never even been on a horse before."

Matt dialed Lucy from his cell She saw her caller ID and answered

"Hello Matt hows is going"

"Totally fantastic Luce I asked her again to marry me and she and the kids said yes" he replied

"Well I have some more good news for you I called the mayor who called Dr Hansen who then called me Dr Hansen was beyond excited at the prospect of Finally being able to retire, Oh He was shocked when I mentioned your name the Camden part I mean he wanted to know if you were any relation to Lisa's kids I sort of told him the story, He is very familiar with them He delivered them and has been their Doctor ever since",

"When does he want to meet me?" Matt asked

"He said the sooner the better, today if you can He will be in his office most of the day he has a house call to one of Lisa's Neighbors actually It is her I guess you would call her cousin in law Adam McFadden's wife Hannah Adam is the elder Brother you know Brian and Crane."

" Oh yeah OK" Matt said

then Lucy continued "Then he said he would head to Lisa's Ranch if it was OK with you"

"Can you call him back and tell him that would be great. or better yet give me the number and I will call him" Matt said he jotted down the doctor's number. " Thanks Luce" he said

Then he hung up and called Dr Hansen's His secretary Nancy answered "Truckee Clinic Nancy Speaking how can I help you"

"Hello I would like to speak with Dr Hansen This is Dr Matt Camden, My sister Lucy spoke with him today,"

"Oh yes Dr Camden We have been hoping you would call back. Dr Hansen is just finishing with a patient can you hold on for a minute or two?"

"Yeah sure"

A few minutes later Dr Hansen came on the line. "Hello Matt this is Dick Hansen so glad to talk with you I hear you are going to help me out by letting me retire by taking my job Don't get me wrong I love my job but at 74 I would like to have more time with my kids and grand kids and so would my wife. My wife Irene is so happy she may kiss you. Will you be at the ranch all afternoon?"

"Yes I should be"

"Well that will be fine, I have to check on a patient Hannah McFadden, and then I will be there around 3 if that is OK,"

"Sure that would be great I look forward to meeting you in person see you when you get here." Matt said

and ended the call and headed to the kitchen where they were just finishing up.

"How did your phone call go?" Lisa asked, "Great I just got off the phone with Dr Hansen he will be hear about 3 to talk with me"

"Oh You are not making him come all the way out hear He so old Mattie,..."

"Whoa wait I didn't tell him to come out here I would have gone into town, he will be out this way anyway he is going to see Hannah McFadden first then come here, Why, do you have a problem with him coming here?" Matt asked her.

"No Of course not. He just doesn't get around very well anymore but still insists on making house calls, Which so you know will be something you will have to do."

" I wouldn't mind that a bit Matt replied "You know I think he thinks it is a done deal that I am taking over for him he said basically thanks for letting him retire So I guess I have a new job,"

"Did he tell you he has a part time associate, Dr Willoughby, " Lisa asked

"No he didn't" Matt replied, "Well Dr Willoughby mostly works at the hospital in Lake Tahoe but helps a few days a week here in Truckee" Lisa Told him

"You will like him "

"So Daddy you have a job here" Ethan asked,

"Seems that way kiddo" he said with a smile "I need to make another call this time to New York, he looked at his phone "Crap the battery is kind of low"

He dug out his charger,

"Just use the land line Mattie, she handed him the phone,

He grabbed his cell to look up the Number for Doctor Anderson's Cell number, He dialed it,

"Dr Anderson here he answered"

" Hi Brad its Matt Camden"

"Hey Matt ,where the hell are you calling from I don't recognize the (530) area code"

"Oh its in Truckee California its North of Lake Tahoe Matt Replied "I will be back in a few days but I will be handing in my resignation I will be working in a clinic here in Truckee I will be taking over a position for a doctor who is retiring. I am meeting with him this afternoon."

"Well we will be sad to see you go but since you have no family here in New York, this decision doesn't surprise me. Is Truckee close to Glen Oak?"

"Not really its about 8 hours north but it is still closer than New York but far enough away from Sarah"

"Well Matt I will see you next week to complete you exit interview and have all your paper work and if you need any recommendations just let me know, " Brad said

" Well as a matter of fact Let me give you the Truckee clinic number you can speak with Nancy she can give you their fax number." He gave him the number then said good bye and hung up

He looked at his watch, it was only 1:00 still had 2 hours to kill before the Dr. Hansen would get to the ranch. He looked around the house, Lisa and the kids must have gone outside. He left his phone on the charger in the living room He went out the front door and immediately saw Emma and Lisa coming out of the green house and into the garden. he walked over to them, he didn't see Ethan

Emma looked up at him" Daddy if you are going to be out here you need a hat. There is an extra one on the hook in the green house that belongs to Uncle Daniel he has lots of them I am sure he won't mind,"

"Whose Uncle Daniel?" Matt asked,

Lisa replied "he is another McFadden brother."

"God how many of them are there?"

"7" Lisa and Emma said in Unison, and then they looked at each other and laughed.

"Here is the list, in Birth order of course, Adam who is 34 married to Hannah they have daughter Allison ,Allie for short and she is 5 months pregnant with number 2 ;Brian who is 31 married to Kelley she just had a baby Dylan; Crane 29 Married to Becky they live at the other end of this ranch she is 7 months pregnant then the rest of them are single Daniel . who's hat you just put on is... let me think 24 or 25 Then Evan is 21 Ford is 17 and Guthrie is 13. I guess my aunt and uncle wanted to be able to remember them all just went with the letters of the alphabet"Lisa laughed as she said it,

"Where are your aunt and uncle now you really didn't mention them?" Matt asked

Emma turned away and started to cry he went to hug his little girl he looked at Lisa and saw her tearing up to

She replied in a choked up voice "Uncle Billy and Aunt Peggy were killed in a small plane crash almost 3 years ago We loved them very much, they helped me raise the kids watched them while I finished college They were like the kids grandparents Aunt Peggy was my dad's younger sister"

" I am so sorry Honey Matt said as he reached for her too and hugged her Matt feeling that they were very uncomfortable changed the subject "So what are we going to do this afternoon I have some time before Dr Hansen arrives. How can I make myself useful" He asked

"Well we have some weeding to do and to pick some of the already ripened vegetables Ethan is in the stable feeding the livestock and watering the horses And I believe Crane and Brian are mending some fences on the North side of the ranch, Not that I want to get rid of you or anything but why don't you go see Ethan, Emma I can do this why don't you take daddy to the stables Ethan should be in there or if not try the main barn."

Matt Kissed Lisa and then tipped his hat like he had seen in the movies she chuckled at the gesture and headed off with Emma to find Ethan.

As Emma walked with Matt she asked him " Daddy mama said your a city boy and probably never been on a horse is that true?"

"She called me a city boy huh, Well I guess that is true Emma, I have been living in a big city and even the place where I grew up, Glen Oak was still considered a small city so much bigger than this town.

"Oh" She replied

" But... I have been on a horse, I used to take my sister Your aunt Ruthie to the stables at the private school she once went to and My EX wife Sarah has one at her parents Stable in Glen Oak so I am not completely equestrian challenged."

She smiled at the fact that her daddy did know how to ride or at least had been on a horse before, They walked into the barn Ethan had finished watering and feeding the horses and was sitting down, Matt was disturbed at what he saw. His little boy was sitting there with a rifle in his hands he had it apart and apparently cleaning it.. Matt quickly ran over and snatched it out of Ethan's hands

" What on earth are you doing with this. Guns are not toys,"

Ethan took the gun back from his dad "I know they are not geez daddy relax this is MY rifle. Mom got it for me for Christmas Emma has one too although I am the one who ends up cleaning it"

" Hey that's not true I do too clean mine,"

" Why on earth would your mother buy you a gun?"

"Well daddy you will need one too and learn to shoot it if you plan on living out here. Its too dangerous not to know how to protect yourself and the livestock"

Ethan put the rifle back together and placed it in the scabbard on the saddle on his horse Lucky

"Why are you putting it on your saddle" Matt asked, "Well I take it with me when I ride. You have to. Wild animals are around here and they got through the fence again Wolves we think or possibly coyotes I was going to ride out and see if I could help Uncle Brian and Uncle Crane."

"Maybe you should leave the gun here?" Matt said

"Oh no way daddy Ethan replied "If we ride anywhere, Mom would kill us if we rode out unprotected You don't want to piss her off trust me she is easy going but when she gets made well we are dead meat. That would include you too. Nobody messes with mama and I mean nobody." Ethan told him then asked "Well do you want to go out riding Mama said we could if we finished our chores you still have some time its only 1;30 you still have time Ethan told him "Hey Emma hand me the Walkie talkie" she did "Hey mama its Ethan ...over." he waited a minute,

"Yes Ethan I read you what do you need ...over", "I am done with my chores. Can we all ride out to see Uncle Brian and Uncle Crane...Over"

"If your daddy doesn't mind and if he can actually ride I mean has he ever been on a horse maybe he should ride with you or your sister... Over"

" We will figure it out Thanks mom we will be back by 2:45 so daddy to can meet with the Doc...Over" "Ok, And make sure at least one if not both of you put a rifle your scabbard in case you run into trouble... over. "

"Ok mom we will love you see you later...Over and out, then he looked at his dad who was shaking his head in disbelief ,

"She actually told you to take a gun with you I don't believe it. She and I are going to have a serious talk." Emma helped him saddle his horse then she saddled her own and went to the cabinet where her rifle was she made sure she put ammunition in her pocket and put the rifle in her scabbard. then the three of them head out to the northern part of the property.

I WOULD LOVE SOME FEED BACK PLEASE FEEL FREE TO REVIEW


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Sunny Afternoon with the kids**

Matt and the kids rode off the to northern part of the ranch property Matt didn't let them know that he had barely ever road a horse he had limited experience at his ex wife's parents stable just riding twice around an enclosed Pen with Ruthie. He held on for dear life afraid he would fall off the thing. He was never so glad to get to the property line at the edge of the forest where Brian and Crane were Mending Fences to dismount the horse Brian and Crane had been smart and had come by jeep not horses, He noticed that they too had rifles with them that were in the jeep,

"_What is it about guns that these people are obsessed with_" he thought to himself

Brian looked up "Hey Matt I see the kids roped you into getting on a horse huh"

Emma spoke up "My daddy said he had been on a horse before just cause he was from the city don't mean he never been on a horse before"

Matt thought it was cute how his daughter stuck up for him and he gave her a squeeze,

"Thanks munchkin" he told her,

Crane looked at Ethan "want to help?"

"Sure uncle Crane Daddy can help too .He will have to learn how to do this stuff if he is going to live here",

Brian was taking a sip of water and almost choked on it when Ethan said that and then spoke up "Live here?"

Matt shook his head yes and said "Yup that's right I am going to take over for Dr. Hansen I just have to go back to New York in a day or two and tie up some loose ends and pack up my apartment and then drive back out here, so you all are stuck with me."

"Well as long as you take good care of Lisa and the kids and are good to them we wont have a problem with you. I don't know if you know it or not but there are 7 of us McFadden boys and you don't want to take us on if you mess with us" Brian told him with a chuckle.

"Don't worry I plan on taking good care of my future wife and my children." Matt told them " Oh by the way I asked her once again to marry me and she said yes"

Brian and Crane got up and slapped him on the back they both congratulated him.

Then Matt said "So as Ethan said there are a lot of things I need to learn and I guess get used to. I guess starting with how to mend a fence "

They showed him what to do and he helped as best he could.

By about 2:30 Lisa was on the Walkie talkie " Ethan come in...over"

" Hi mama what's up...Over" "Make sure daddy heads back soon he has that meeting with Dr. Hansen soon and I know how easy it is to loose track of time out there I do it myself...over"

"OK mom I will tell daddy...Over and out "Did you hear mama, she was just reminding you of the to be sure to start to head back in soon its 2:30" Ethan told him

"Daddy can we stay here?" Emma asked ,

"Well Uhm Daddy may not find his way back. Matt said

"Hey leave the horse here let Brian ride it back I will take you by jeep" Crane said and he tossed Brian one of the rifles, "You may need this Bri"

Matt kissed his kids " You be good for Uncle Brian"

"Oh they always are" Brian told him

Matt got in the Jeep with Crane and they headed to the main house, "I wanted to head back anyway and check on my wife Becky, I guess since you will be taking over for the Doc you will be delivering my baby, Good thing you will be on the property in case in the middle of the night she goes into labor, especially if we end up doing a home birth which is what Becky is leaning towards, She figured Lisa did it with Twins and Hannah had done it with Allie, Kelley was the only sane one who went to the hospital to deliver Dylan."

"Did you say Lisa Home birthed Emma and Ethan?"

"oops I guess you didn't know, I guess it didn't come up in the conversation yet huh?" Crane laughed"

"I have to ask you something..."Matt said and hesitated,

"Sure go ahead" replied Crane

"What is the obsession every one had around her with guns? I walked into the stable and my son was handling a rifle my heart nearly stopped and I yanked it out of his hands, He looked at me like I was from another planet, then he told me Lisa had bought it for him for Christmas as he grabbed it back from me and I know He had to be telling me the truth when Lisa told him over the Walkie talkie to make sure he and Emma took a rifle with them as we rode out they are only 9? "

"Oh don't you worry about them they know there way around guns. We all made sure to teach them to be safe. Its actually good that they have the rifle with them There have been poachers in the area and they injured a black bear up by cutters ridge and the rangers haven't found I yet the bear actually Mauled an inexperienced unarmed hiker. So you will need to learn your way around a rifle too if you want to live here, You can't go out around the ranch at night especially with out one this is ranch country lots of wilderness there are bears that sometimes wander in and Wolves and coyote and even the occasional mountain lion or cougar' Don't worry we will all teach you he winked at him you will loose that city boy demeanor pretty quick."

Before he dropped Matt off he went to his house to see Becky and to get Matt a clean shirt so he could wash up and change before the Doc got to the ranch He introduced Becky to Matt then kissed her and told her he would be right back as soon as he dropped Matt off he went ahead and drove Matt to the main house and dropped him off,

"I am headed back to take care of some stuff for Becky see you later Matt. I think I like you glad to have you here with us now. "

Matt walked in the house wanting to get a little cleaned up Lisa was in the Living room on the phone and it looked like she was extremely happy about something" he didn't want to interrupt her so he found the bathroom upstairs grabbed a towel and supplies and hopped in the shower, he got out 10 minutes later and at least had a clean shirt to put on and then put on the same underwear and Jeans. He walked back downstairs Lisa was off the phone by now and was doing some work on her lap top He figured he would wait until later to bring up his concerns about the guns

He just said "You are in an awfully good mood. I hope I am the reason he bent down and kissed her,"

"Well partly but I got some great news that I have been waiting for" she told him "Dwight McAllister the owner of a stallion named Brutus who is a pure bred appaloosa like my mare Bright Eyes, has come to an agreement with me and he will stud him out to us for such a good fee, I am so happy I am absolutely giddy,"

She said as she danced around the living room.

" Uhm I night sound stupid but what exactly do you mean stud your horse?" Matt asked

"Wait let me show you she pulled up You tube and put in horse studding in the search line and he saw what she was talking about"

His eyes bugged out of his head when he saw it "Oh my God holy crap" he said in a shocked voice,

"Why are you so shocked your an Doctor whose specialty is OB/GYN You know about the birds and the bees" she said as she laughed at him, "and this freaks you out"

"I don't need to know about animal mating just human mating specifically..." He grabbed her and kissed her erotically " You and me, he kissed her again " God I want you Lisa. Tonight you are all mine."

A knock at the door interrupted them. "Hey can I come in" as Dr. Hansen opened the door Matt greeted him and shook his hand" Nice to meet you Matt " The Old Doc said

"Same here" Matt replied

Then the Doc gave Lisa a hug and a kiss on the cheek, "and how are you doing my dear"

" I am wonderful Doc better than wonderful" she told him as she held up her left hand.

"Oh that's wonderful, I hope its soon and I hope me and the misses are invited and its about time the two of you got together, How are the kids with this," He asked.

Lisa laughed at the question "They said yes before I did. Well I have some things I need to do around here as well as get dinner started, So I will leave you two to discuss business, Oh would you like me to make some coffee and bring it out here in the living room or would you like the sweet tea I made earlier.

"I would love some of your sweet tea." the Doc said

"That would be great for me too Lisa" Matt said as well

She went into the kitchen and put the pitcher on a tray with two glasses filled with Ice and put some napkins and some home made cookies on the tray and brought the filled tray into the living room and set it down on the coffee table in front of them.

"Now if you will excuse me gentleman I have to get dinner started "She excused her self and went into the Kitchen.

Matt And the Doc were going over all the ins and outs of what it takes to be a rural doctor and how different it was from the position Matt previously had Matt was so excited he couldn't wait to get started It was a done deal as far as the two of them were concerned. They pretty much had everything ironed out after about an hour Lisa was still in the kitchen she pretty much had the beef stroganoff put together She had it in the made then out it in the crock pot to simmer She went into the living room to see if Matt or the Doc needed anything else and to grab the Walkie talkie to check on the twins. When she heard the rifle go off in the distance it was off to the North where Brian and the twins were. Matts head jerked up and ran to the window there was another shot

" That was gunfire wasn't it" Matt asked "

"Yes it was" the Doc said and "it came from the North end of your ranch."

"Oh my God that's where Emma and Ethan are" Matt got up, then he went to head out,

"Mattie wait let me try and get them on the Walkie talkie first" Lisa said

She grabbed the Walkie talkie "Ethan, Emma come in...over" No response, Ethan Emma, or Brian come in Please...over" she repeated again no response

"Oh God" Matt said

Lisa tried one more time and this time Brian answered She heard shouting and cheering in the background from the kids as he responded.  
"This is Brian, Lisa I suppose you heard the rifle shot...over" he replied

"Is everything alright Bri...over " "Yup your son is amazing, that wounded bear the poachers hit came through the woods and saw us and started to charge, before I could even think to get my rifle Ethan had his out loaded and fired and hit him dead on, I finished him off to out him out of his misery, got to admit we trained Ethan well and although we hated to see the bear killed , Ethan didn't have much of a choice... over,"

"Ok thanks Brian I will call the sheriff and the ranger to let him know to meet you out there, Can you send the kids back for dinner soon?... Over"

"Yeah sure thing... Over and out" Brian finished.

Matt shook his head in disbelief and sank onto the couch, he was shaking. "I understand now why they have to be armed, I don't like it but I guess there are no choices out here are there?"

The Doc patted him on the back "You will get used to it and you will need to carry a loaded gun or rifle when you make house calls the to your rural patients you never know what you may run into"

Matt looked at Lisa, "I have never fired a weapon before in my life"

" Don't worry I will teach you, Your looking at a card carrying member of the NRA I am pretty good with a long gun, Who do you think taught the kids how to shoot, their uncles helped but I got them started and taught them to be safe. You will need a license to carry we can get that at the registrars office in the town call at some point,"

" Boy this is a lot of changes for me Lisa, but I will learn to adjust I guess Kevin was right when he told me this morning I would be shocked about a lot of things and changes I think he was just referring to the twins but that phrase now encompasses a lot of things."

She went over to him held his face and kissed him "Are you ok you look a little pale?"

" I will be fine"

"I know this is moving awfully fast, I know you want to get to know the kids and be with us I am sorry if this is to much to handle Mattie to much change for you, but this is their home, the lifestyle we live... if you need to slow it down or back off a bit I understand"

He knew what she meant. "Oh no my sweet angel it will just take me time to adjust that's all and I am happy to do it. I will do anything for you and the kids" he kissed her.

"Ahem" The doc cleared his throat

"Oh sorry Doc we forgot you were here," Lisa apologized.

"Don't worry about it at all I think I am going to head home to the misses to let her know we have a done deal" he kissed Lisa on the cheek and shook Matts hand "Then I need to talk to your brother in law and sister, they were interested in buying my house when we leave See you folks at Sunday service With that he headed out.

Matt called Kevin and Lucy to invite them to dinner since Kevin would be working for the Sheriff he figured he would tell him he needed to get over here with the ranger because of the bear, Lisa was on the Ranch phone calling the Ranger at the same time.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

**Later that Friday **

The twins came headed back to the ranch leaving Brian waiting for the sheriff and the ranger near the North perimeter fence near the downed bear. They put the horses back in the stalls and unsaddled them and brushed them, Ethan made sure he unloaded his rifle and he and Emma walked to the main house he figured they would put it in the case in the house to make his daddy feel better He could tell his daddy wasn't comfortable around guns yet and would prefer they be locked up so he would make sure he would do just that, he didn't want to scare his daddy off. They walked into the house, Matt saw them with the rifles, Ethan took Emma's from here and secured them in the gun cabinet and then put the ammo in their separate locked location, As Ethan was finishing what he was doing the A ranger Truck, and another car he didn't recognize pulled up. He soon saw that the car he didn't recognize had his Aunt Lucy and Uncle Kevin in it,

"Hey Mama we have company Ethan called out.

The area Ranger John Zuckerman went over to the main house along with Kevin and Lucy, Crane also had come by with his jeep Lisa had called him too to tell him about the bear, Lisa and Matt came out to meet them.

"We probably will need help lifting it into the bed of my truck its probably at least 400lbs if it is a full grown male" the ranger said "but I think we will at least 4 men to get It into the truck if not 5 men"

So Matt got in the jeep with Crane and Kevin got in the truck with the ranger,

Ethan came out "Can I go,"

"not a chance" Lisa said "You and Emma get cleaned up and help me with dinner,

"Aw mama." He pouted off back into the house. The men headed out to the Northern perimeter of the ranch to meet Brian.

Lucy head into the house with Lisa she had Matt's suitcase with her and an extra set of clothes for Kevin incase this little adventure they were having got him messy and she brought it into the house

A little while later they got to the fence line where Brian was finishing repairing the fence were the bear broke through. Matt spotted the bear It was the hugest thing he had ever seen, It could have killed his kids he realized, They all got out and looked at the bear,

"it is one of the biggest suckers I have ever seen" Crane said,

Matt looked at the bear and noticed one of its front Paws were missing, "Who would have taken its paw?" Matt asked

"Poachers" the ranger said they got a tarp out to cover it and rope to tie it securely, after about 20 minutes the five of them( Brian, Crane Matt, Kevin and the Ranger) Were able to get it lifted into the back of the rangers pick up truck Then they Headed for the main house, Brian took the horse that Matt had ridden on earlier back to the stable.

Lisa, Lucy, the twins and also joining then were Crane's wife Becky and Brian's wife Kelley and their son Dylan getting everything ready dinner. The rest of the McFadden's were still at the Circle 7.

"Well I hope they get back soon dinner is almost ready" Lisa said

"and we are starving Ethan said "Can't we eat now"

"No you can wait" Lisa replied

About 5 minutes later the men pulled up and Matt Kevin and Crane walked in Then the Ranger pulled out and was headed back to the ranger station, The men had decided on the way back to not let them see the size of the bear so as not to upset them. Brian put the horse in the stable and headed back over to the main house. they all walked in at the same time

"Your finally back" Lisa said, "go get washed up she said to all of them dinner is ready"

They headed upstairs to get cleaned up they all found fresh clothes in the bathroom. Then the women put the food on the table Kelley set Dylan in his bouncy seat. The men were all back down stairs 10 minutes later and at the table Brian introduced his wife Kelley and his son Dylan to Matt and Kevin And Even though Matt had met Crane's wife Becky he introduced her to Kevin and Lucy, They all sat down to dinner and Matt said Grace, Then Lisa And Matt told those who already didn't know that They were engaged and wanted to get married as soon as possible.

"Oh that's wonderful" Kelley exclaimed "We are so happy for you Lisa We all know how much you have always loved your Mattie"

"Oh with all the commotion about the bear I forgot to tell you who called today" Lisa said "Dwight McAllister, then she paused on purpose...

"And ?" Crane said

"We got it" she said "Brutus will stud to Bright eyes and its $1000 less than we originally bid out for."

"Yes! Crane said that's awesome,"

"I already have the deal all set and in 3 weeks once the vet says she's ready away we go Woo hoo" Lisa exclaimed

They chatted for a while later then Lisa and Lucy cleared the table

Lucy pulled Matt aside "I brought your suitcase here, I assume you are sleeping here and not at the parsonage" She winked at him

" Thanks Luce" he said "Hey let me go help Lisa I want to talk to her" Matt said

"Ok I will wipe down the table in here. Lucy replied

He went into the kitchen and grabbed Lisa from behind and kissed her neck, and whispered in her ear " Lucy brought my suitcase here, so do you mind if I stay?" "No I don't mind at all. I have a really big bed you can share it me if you like she said playfully"

" Oh Yeah" he said he started to kiss her neck and unbuttoned the first couple of buttons on her shirt and she unbuttoned his shirt, to expose a hairy chest

" Ooooh Mattie I like" as she felt is chest, "You didn't have all this 10 years ago"

" That's because I was a boy then" He bent down and put his mouth on her partially exposed breast the came back to kiss her then said in a husky voice, "and now I am a man. Lets go out there and see if we can get rid of them and get the kids to bed." He said

Then she buttoned up her shirt and buttoned up his and they went into the living room, It was dusk by this time and the ranch needed to be shut down for the night Crane and Becky had been talking and thought that Matt and Lisa would like some time alone and thought they would volunteer to take the kids back to their place , which was on the other side of the main property So when Matt and Lisa came and sat back down in the living room

Crane said "Well it is getting late we have to shut down the ranch and check on the live stock and bed the horses properly. So after I get Becky home I will come back and we can take care of it Ethan and Emma. Hey Ethan how bout after, you and Emma stay at My place, and I am sure Brian wants to get Kelley and Dylan home and ah Its a little tricky at night to drive that road." Crane said to Kevin and Lucy "You might want to head out before it gets pitch black out there" Crane said

Crane brought Becky home then was back 5 minutes later, Ethan grabbed his rifle and they packed an over night bag to go to Uncle Cranes after the finished up for the night, within 15 minutes the house was empty all except for Matt and Lisa,

" Wow how did that happen?" He laughed,

"I think Crane knew we wanted to be alone" Lisa said,

"Remind me to thank him tomorrow" Matt said

She went to make sure the door was locked and shut off the lights "I will clean up tomorrow I can think of a better way to spend my time tonight"

He lifted her in his arms and carried her upstairs to the master bedroom his suitcase was on the bed he lay her down beside it an put it on the floor. He took his shirt off and pulled his boots off then he lay down beside her. He took her boots off then undid her jeans and pulled them off, then her pulled his jeans off and he was ready for her He took her hand and pressed it on his crouch. " Do you see what you do to me. I want you so damn badly" he kissed her with a hunger he hadn't been able to satisfy in 10 years. he undid her shirt and slid it off and then she undid her bra and tossed it aside.

"God you are so beautiful," he kissed every part of her,she arched her back and pelvis to him, wanting all he would give her.

"Oh God Mattie" She moaned

He continued loving her until she cried out in ecstasy, he brought her to release. He didn't given her a chance to breath she was still coming down from her orgasm when he positioned himself over her" Then reality hit her she stopped him,

"Mattie I am not on birth control"

" I didn't figure you were" he said as he possessed her. They continued their love making They came to their release at the same time she felt his seed pulse inside her, then they held each other and both wept because they were so happy laying exhausted totally physically spent they fell asleep in each others arms.

**Saturday Morning**

He awoke first the sun wasn't up yet but the roosters were crowing he looked at her. He had fallen asleep on top of her he was becoming aroused again. He slowly started to move and she stirred and gave a moan of pleasure she opened her eyes looked up at him and smiled.

"Oh Lisa you feel so good. Oh GOD... Oh GOD" He couldn't wait for her he exploded in ecstasy He collapsed on top of her out of breath, as he lay on her he said" I want to do this for the rest of my life." She rubbed the small of his back and the muscles on his shoulders and he dozed off again She let him sleep but as the sun came up and the light started to come into the window she knew she had to wake him. She ran her fingers through his hair.

" Mattie she whispered, she kissed the top of his head " Mattie" She said a little louder,

he stirred "HMMMM" was all he said

but he opened his eyes he smiled at her

" Morning sleepy head. " she said "You have to move Mattie I have been in this position all night and its beginning to hurt, plus nature calls I have to get up,"

He reluctantly rolled off her to let her up she walked naked to the bathroom and he got to admire her backside" God your Beautiful Lisa" Her long blond hair was out of its braid and tossled about down her back, she used the bathroom and ran a brush through her hair and pulled it back in a ponytail for the time being and brushed her teeth. He came in behind her to use the bathroom too then used some mouthwash. He pulled her hair out of the ponytail.

"I like it better down" he told her

She walked back by the bed He followed behind her. She was going to put some clothes on when he grabbed her and pulled her back to the bed with him.

"Mattie we can't be in bed all day as much as I would like too. I have no Idea what time the kids will walk back over, they get up before the sun comes up for chores"

" Why don't you call Crane and see what is up" He said

"We still have to get up" she said

Mattie protested to the idea

"Well maybe I can see if he can keep them busy just a little while longer, "she winked at him.

"Ok call him" he said.

She called Crane and made sure that the kids didn't come back to the main house before 9 am. He claimed her body again but by about 8:30 she wiggled out from under him,

"Ok time to take a shower" She said,

"Only if you let me join you" he teased.

They took a long slow shower he made love to her again in there. They got out she didn't bother to dry her hair and just pulled it back into a quick braid while she finished up he got dressed and went into the kitchen to put the coffee on. He looked into the refrigerator only 2 eggs left he was heading to the stairs to tell her she was almost out of eggs when she emerged from the room dressed and was heading downstairs.

"Hey there are only 2 eggs left I guess eggs that idea is out what else do you want to eat?" he asked,

"We always have fresh eggs, Follow me"

She headed to the kitchen grabbed a basket and the went out the back door, and led him to the chicken coop,

"Oh yeah I forgot you had a chicken coop"

He helped her collect a dozen or more eggs then went back into the house the twins were coming in the front door with 2 full pails of milk

"Mama" Emma called out "We got the milk"

Matt Grabbed the pails from the twins 'Wow fresh milk too."

He brought them into the kitchen where he helped Lisa pour them into new containers and put it in the refrigerator. then she pulled a different pitcher of milk out and put in on the counter,

"Can I help" Emma said,

"Well do you want omelets"

They all agreed they wanted them, Well how about you and Ethan go into the green house and get me some peppers and onions. They went out as she asked and then Lisa grabbed cheese and ham.

"Hey I can dice that up for you" Matt offered,

They prepared breakfast together the kids came in with the veggies they ate and were just generally chatting,

Matt then asked "Do you ever take vacations,I mean, could Crane and Brian and the other McFadden's run things for a week or two"

"Well we don't generally take vacations Daddy we have gone for a day or two to the rodeos and day trips but we have never really taken a real vacation before not for that long." Ethan said

"I have to admit he's right" Lisa said "We are always too busy, but. You know I bet My cousins would run the ranch to give me a well deserved break. Why what did you have in mind?"

" Well Monday I have to fly back to New York as you know to tie up some loose ends at the hospital and to pack my apartment and take the long drive back cross country I hate to do it alone, plus I really don't want to be away from you for that long" Matt said

"Can we mama Please" Ethan said

"Yeah Please" added Emma

"Well I have to make sure it is alright with Uncle Brian and Uncle Crane and the rest of them over at circle .Especially Uncle Adam But if they are ok running things for a little while than I say yes."

"Hey daddy is Aunt Lucy and Uncle Kevin going to be moving to Truckee too," Emma asked,

"Yup they are they I know they are going to buy Dr Hansen's House and are heading back to Glen Oak Monday to put their own house on the Market and pack. I don't know how long it will take, I think maybe when we are on our way back from New York we can head to Glen Oak first If they are still there we can help plus you can meet your cousins Savannah and Nathaniel and your other Aunts and Uncles and Your grandma and grandpa,"

He had hoped that was ok with Lisa he looked over to her and saw a concerned look on her face.

She smiled "I think that is a great Idea. Well if we are all done how about you guys clean up so I can make some phone calls to see if your Uncles will run the ranch for a week or two,"

She called Crane's house Becky answered Lisa told her of Matt's plan. Becky thought it was a great idea. Crane came back into his house,

"What's a great Idea, he asked his wife "

"Oh I am on the phone with Lisa, Matt wants Lisa and the kids to go back to New York with him while he settles things there and then packs to come back. Then they will drive cross country they will be gone a week or two,But she needs you and Brian and your other brothers to help run the ranch while she is gone,"

"Well as long as she is back in time for Bright eyes fouling there shouldn't be a problem because that is her area of expertise not ours" he laughed

"Oh Brian and Adam are here Let me run it by them.

Becky went back to the phone "in case you hadn't heard, Crane he said it shouldn't be a problem You just have to be back in time for Bright eyes fouling but thats a little more than 3 weeks away anyway Brian and Adam are here Crane went to go and run it by them"

Just then Adam poked his head in, "Hey Becky are you still on the phone with Lisa?"

Yep I am Adam"

"Tell her I said its fine. She needs a vacation Tell her I will also be over in a few."

Becky told Lisa And then they hung up. Lisa walked into the kitchen where they were just finishing up,

"Well" Matt asked ,

"It's all set In fact Adam will be over here soon I expect to go over some details and of course to meet you she said as she kissed him on the cheek. Lisa told him

Adam was there 10 minutes later. Ethan opened the door for him because he was carrying his 3-year-old daughter Allie. Hannah his wife was with him She was expecting their second He put Allie down when the went in the house,

Emma took her by the hand "come play with us Allie, Ethan and Emma led her to the den/ playroom. Matt and Lisa walked in the room and introduced Matt to the eldest McFadden and his wife,

"So glad to finally meet you Adam said

They sat down " Adam knew the rundown of the ranch and how to run it he ran the Circle 7 and knew Lisa ran her ranch pretty much the same way. He knew Brian and Crane knew all the little ins and outs of her ranch and wasn't worried about it. They discussed things for a while,

" So how long do you think you will be gone " Hannah asked,

"A week, 2 tops" Matt replied "We will leave on Monday"

"So your taking the honeymoon before the wedding huh too bad you couldn't get married tomorrow" Hannah said "I still have my wedding dress you could use,"

"Well it would be nice and if we would have thought about it Friday we might have pulled it off, but given it is a weekend the town hall is closed for the marriage license" Matt said,

"Well if that's all that would hold you back you can just call the mayor he'd open the town hall himself to do that for you" Adam laughed

Matt looked at Lisa, and said "I know it is awfully quick what do you think?"

Wow I don't know" Lisa said "there is a lot of planning"

"Hey Lisa you know how fast we can put together a shin dig we love parties in Truckee," Hannah said "and Matt all you need is a birth certificate, If you are from California you probably have the wallet size one most of have," Hannah added,

Matt pulled out his wallet and looked, "Right here," He also knew he still had his divorce papers in his brief case that he brought with him so that was all set he looked at Lisa She shook her head yes

Adam slapped his hand on his knee "Hot Damn were havin' a weddin' its 'bout time for you two Now if we get the word out quick enough the whole damn town will be there for the wedding which can be during Sunday service and for the party too We can use the 4H fairgrounds for it"

Adam got on his cell to call the mayor Anderson,

He picked up " This better be good Adam you calling me on a Saturday"

"Oh it's a good reason alright, I need you to go over and open the town hall we need to get a marriage license."

"For who?" he asked

"Matt Camden and Lisa Forester and lets put the word out to everyone in the town they want to get married tomorrow, Hannah figured we can have the shin dig at the 4H fairgrounds,"

"Oh that's perfect" The mayor said "I will put the word out, I assume Rev Kinkirk Matt's sister will do the honors of marrying them,"

"Yeah I guess. They just decided to do this tomorrow they haven't asked her yet." Adam said

"Well I will head on over to the town hall now so have them meet me their." Then the mayor hung up.

Adam turned to Lisa and Matt "ok we will stay here you head over to the town hall to meet the mayor he will issue your marriage license. We will make a bunch of phone calls to get things going

Lisa and Matt headed out, Adam and Hannah called the rest of the family to tell them what was going on Hannah was going to get Becky and Kelley together to get food prepared and They each were going to grab their wedding dresses to see which one Lisa would look best in Adam also had Brian and Crane make phone calls too. they need to call all the towns folk to get them in on this.

As Lisa and Matt were driving to He realized he had some calls to make He pulled over to let her drive. They continued into town He called Lucy first . She answered He told her what they were planning.

"Tomorrow are you kidding?" Lucy exclaimed,

"No I am not kidding we are heading to the town hall now to get the marriage license You will marry us Please Luce"

"Well of course I will but what about the rest of the family, they don't even know about Lisa yet or the twins for that matter at least last time we talked you hadn't told them yet has that changed?"

"No they don't know yet,I will call them after I get off the phone with you. and see if they can fly up here tomorrow Maybe Simon and Cecelia can come too I however doubt that Mary, Carlos and the kids could make it from New York but who knows. And Maybe the Colonel and Grandma Ruth"

They went into the town hall and met with the mayor. Shortly thereafter they had their license in hand and headed back to the car, He needed to make another call this time to his parents her had hoped they were home. It rang and his mother Annie answered,

"Hi mom its Matt," I hope you don't have any plans tonight or tomorrow I need you to get the family together and you and Dad need to Fly to Truckee. Maybe have Sandy Jameson do Sunday Church"

"Why what's going on with Kevin and Lucy that they need us to fly out there is something wrong,?"

"No nothings wrong Actually you would be flying out here for me I am moving out here too. You had better sit down for what I am going to tell you next,"

He filled her in on everything that transpired since he got the phone call Thursday night From Lucy Annie felt horrible that the family had kept Lisa from him every time she called.

"Oh Matt I am so sorry we kept her from you if we only knew..."

"Mom there is nothing any of us can do about the past 10 years We can only move forward I can't wait for you to see Lisa again and meet my children, Actually there is a special reason I , we want you here tomorrow, I asked Lisa again to marry me and she said yes We just got the marriage License and We are getting married tomorrow We don't want to wait I already waited for her for too long already. Do you think you can get everyone together to get here by tomorrow morning ?"

"I will sure try. Let me hang up I have some phone calls to make" Annie said

They were still sitting in the car they hadn't left town . "Hey pull up near Marie's he said

Then they got out "Come with me," He took her to the jewelry store, "We need wedding bands,"

They walked in They found a beautiful set, Both white gold which is what he knew she preferred they purchased it and waited for the jeweler to engrave them each saying Love always and forever. When it was done they stepped outside Word had spread like Wildfire about not only the engagement but Sunday's pending wedding. A crowd of people congratulated them including The Doc who told them that he and the Mrs. would look forward to see them get married They thanked everyone and told them they would see them tomorrow and headed back to the Ranch

Back at the ranch Hannah Becky and Kelley were making all kinds of plans All three dresses where there and brought up to Lisa's room and Crane brought over his best suit for Matt to wear they were about the same size In the short time Lisa and Matt where gone they had pretty much organized the whole thing. They filled Lisa and Matt in on the details when they got back to the ranch,

"Wow you did all this in an hour and half, Matt exclaimed

The women rushed Lisa up to the bedroom to try on the dresses , She picked out the one that fit her the best which had been Becky's a pretty off the shoulder Full length dress with a small bow on the front and a bustle on the back. Matt tried on Crane's suit it fit him pretty well Everything was set as far as the wedding clothes Matt changed back to his regular clothes His phone rang it was his dad,

"Hello Matt" his dad said it was obvious his dad was choked up.

"Hi dad" Matt replied

"Your mom filled me in on everything, Oh son I am so sorry we kept you two apart we didn't know, but I am happy for you now I can't wait to get there tomorrow morning, the whole family will be able to come Simon and Cecelia are here now Ruthie will go and well Sam and David are a given. Even Mary, Carlos and the kids as well as the Colonel and Grandma Ruth and George are actually on there way flying here now and then we all have first class seats coming into Truckee Tahoe airport at 7:30am I have Sandy Jameson who will be the new associate pastor taking over Service we will see you bright and early tomorrow I talked to Lucy She will be marrying you and Lisa during Sunday service?"

"Yup that's right dad"

"Well see you tomorrow Matt"

"Bye dad"

Lisa was finished with trying on her dress then they all came back downstairs And Kelley was carrying Matt's Suitcase

"You will be needing this tonight," and she handed it to him"

"Huh" he said

"You and the boys are sleeping at the Circle 7 We have all our clothes here we women and the kids of course well all except Ethan and Guthrie will be staying here tonight" She told him

"then Hannah said "Bad luck to see the Bride before the wedding We have all we need here and we have to do some cooking for tomorrow You boys go on now we have things to do"

Matt tried to protest but they shoved him and the rest of the men and Ethan out the door with suitcase and a change of dress clothes for Ethan."

"Hey wait a minute Crane Can I talk to you a second before you go?" Lisa asked

"Sure" "Well I was wondering even though I love all you McFadden brothers, I think you and I have always been the closest."

" Yes I think so too." he said as he kissed her forehead,

"Well I was wondering if you would walk me down the Aisle tomorrow?" " Oh Lisa that means so much to me of course I will. I will be here in the morning to ride to the church with you and the rest of the women ok but for tonight I am going to head over to the Circle 7." Crane stopped home to get clothes for the night and for tomorrow then they headed out.

Matt didn't like being away from Lisa or Emma but at least he had his son with him. He followed the men back to their place their ranch was adjacent to Lisa's Ranch,

He thought to himself "_I better stop calling it Lisa's Ranch It will be mine now too_."

He grabbed his and stuff and Ethan grabbed his and went into the house,

Brian introduced his other Brothers to Matt "this is Daniel, Ford, Evan" and before he said Guthrie,

Ethan yelled out "Hi Ya Guthrie "Me and my daddy are spending the night"

Adam asked "Matt do you want to bunk with of us and Let Guthrie, Ford and Ethan bunk together or do you want to bunk with Ethan and we can put Guthrie and Ford in with Evan and Daniel."

"Ethan what do you want to do?" Matt asked

"Do you care if I bunk with Guthrie and Ford Daddy?"

"No go ahead," Matt told him

Ethan grabbed his stuff and brought it up stairs Matt bunked with Crane and Brian bunked with Adam They had a great time that night just the guys, Before Matt went to bed he called Lisa She answered Matt heard laughing and giggling in the back ground

"Hi Mattie I miss you" she said

"I miss you too" He told her "I just called to say I Love you, also to tell you my dad called and my whole family will make it they will get to the airport at around 7:30 am

"Oh I am so happy for you that they can all be here" I love you see you tomorrow I will be the one in white, she said


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

**Sunday Morning**

Sunday Morning came so quickly All the Camden's that had not already been in Truckee landed at the Truckee/ Tahoe airport at 7:25am Annie called Matt's Cell phone. He was just waking up he had been up celebrating with the boys last night no drinking but up pretty late just the same.

A groggy Matt answered " Hello?"

"Hi Matt is mom,"

"Hi mom what time is it? "

"Oh about 7:30 we all just got off the plane and your dad and several others are getting rental cars and the rest of us are getting the luggage. How far is the airport from where you are.?"

"Uhm 25 minutes from the center of town, the ranches are about 10 minutes outside of town Matt replied,

His talking on the phone woke Crane,"

" Who are you talking to so early Matt?"

" Hang on a sec" he told his mother." I am on the phone with my mom. My whole family just got in to the Truckee airport they want to know how to get here I know they can GPS to the center of town but how do I explain how to get to either of the ranches?"

"Tell her a few of us will head over to the main part of town Uhm... to the church. since that is in the center of town, then we can split up Men can come here women to your place. He told his mom as Crane went to wake up Brian Then he woke up Guthrie and Matt went to wake up Ethan,

"Hey pal through some clothes on" Matt said

"Sure dad what's up" "Your grandma, my mother called me to tell me that my whole family just got to the Truckee airport. They will need help getting to the ranches once they get to town, so You, me, Brian, Crane and Guthrie are going to head over to meet them.

"Ok daddy I will get dressed quick in my clothes from yesterday and wait to get in the dressy clothes when we come back to get ready for church, you have to get dressed to. You are not going in your underwear are you?" he giggled.

"Yes I am going to get dressed" he swatted playfully at his son.

Within 20 minutes the two vehicles with the 5 of them pulled out of the Circle 7 driveway and headed to town

Lisa was up before the sun was up and she got Emma up too it might be her wedding day but there were chores to do and animals to feed and milked and collect eggs and with Ethan, Matt and Crane over at the circle 7 that left her short handed. By 7:00 am she and Emma had mucked out the stalls and fed the animals then she sent Emma milk the cows and she went to the chicken coop to collect the eggs, She was back in the house by 7:30 am, Hannah Kelley Becky and the little kids were up starting Breakfast and making a ton of food for later today as Lisa brought in the eggs,

"How long have you been outside,?" Hannah asked her

"A while since before sun up." She said as she wiped the sweat off her forehead "Emma is outside milking the cows.

"This is your wedding day we are suppose to pamper you" Becky said "

I still have a ranch to run and with all the men over at the Circle 7 , with you two pregnant" she said to Becky and Hannah "and you" motioning to Kelley "taking care of Dylan, that leaves me and Emma, And I know the guys will be heading over later before church to help set up at the 4H"

"Well you are not to do anymore this morning go wash your hair and take a long bath I put some bath oils in the master bathroom" Kelley told her

She headed to the bathroom and brought her white terry robe she stripped down and started to fill the tub and out in the oils, she hopped in the shower to wash her hair and when she was done she wrapped it in a towel and got in the tub, she soaked deep down in the tub

"_Too bad Mattie isn't here_," she thought to herself "_I wonder if it is bad luck to talk to him?"_ her cell phone was nearby she grabbed it as she soaked in the tub and dialed Matt's Cell

"Hello"

" Hi Mattie miss me"

"I sure do"

"You sound like you are driving?" She said,

"I am I have Ethan and Guthrie with me and Brian and Crane are in the other truck we are headed to town to meet my parents then Brian and Crane and Guthrie will have the women follow them to your, I mean our place and the Men will follow me and Ethan back to the Circle 7"

"Oh then I guess I can't just lay in the tub then,"

"Huh" he said

"well after I got in from early morning chores The girls wanted me to pamper myself so I showered and washed my hair and now I am talking to you while I am soaking in the tub, Kelley gave me some scented oils to use, it is heavenly"

" Oh so you called me to tease me did you "Matt said

"Yes I did, I wish you were here, helping me soap up." she teased him

"Hey I have to be careful now" he said "Ethan and Guthrie are right beside me so I can't say much. But I will show you later tonight."

"Oh I bet you will"

She hung up and stayed in the tub a little longer, she got out rubbed some scented body lotion all over her body and then took the towel off and dried her hair, She put her lacy strapless push up bra on and the matching panties on and then put the white robe over it, and went in to the bedroom Becky was bringing her in some breakfast,

"Oh thanks Becky, You have to help me." she held out a box with a hot rollers kit in it she had never used. "I have no idea what to do with this,"

Becky plugged it in and gave it time to heat up as she Lisa ate her breakfast while the were waiting, "Oh by the way Emma just hopped in the shower I already took mine I will just need to use the curling iron on my unruly mess I will probably just pull it back."

"Becky, did Crane tell you I asked him to walk me down the Aisle today?"

"Yes he did, I think that is so sweet."

"Well I have a favor to ask you Even though Emma will be my junior maid of honor I would like you to be my matron of honor and stand up with me too."

Becky hugged her "Oh course I will."

Then Becky stood behind Lisa and brushed her hair, then took the hot rollers out and set Lisa's hair for her. Emma came in the master bedroom wrapped in a towel,

"Is I too early for me to put on my dress?"

"Yes it is. Just put on a robe like me for now Do you want a French braid today?"

"Yes please mama," after Becky finished setting Lisa's hair, Lisa French braided Emma's long Dark hair.

"Ok turn around let me see you, she looked Emma over " Perfect" Lisa said

"Can I please go put my pretty dress on Emma pleaded "I will be careful not to get it dirty,"

"Ok go ahead its hanging on the door" Lisa told her

The two vehicles pulled into Truckee in front of the church a few minutes later A line of 4 cars pulled in it was Matt's family. Matt and Ethan hopped put of the car and everyone got out of the cars too Annie saw Matt right away, The last few times she had seen him when he came home he looked exhausted disheveled and depressed Now he looked fantastic and happier than she had seen him in a long time. She ran over to him and Hugged him,

"Matt we missed you"

Everyone greeted Matt. Matt noticed Ethan was hanging back again he touched his son's shoulders and brought him forward,

"And I would like you all to meet my son Ethan, Emma is home with her mother,"

Everyone hugged Ethan, Matt also introduced Brian and Crane, Lucy and Kevin came out of the parsonage to grab Savannah and Nathaniel,

"Hi Mom" Lucy said "I guess we will be seeing you in a little while," are you headed to Lisa and Matt's ranch?" she asked

Eric handed Kevin the kids stuff with their dress clothes.

Eric then asked Uhm I don't know,... Matt what's the plan, "Well We are dividing the cars up Men in two car and women in the other 2. Men will follow me and Ethan Back to the Circle 7 ranch I stayed there last night, the women insisted Bad luck for me to see Lisa or some such nonsense, and The women are going to follow Brian and Crane to my new home"

They fiddled with the contents of the cars and everyone made sure they had their own stuff and they divided into the cars and went their separate ways.

Back at Camden Forester ranch ( Aka Matt and Lisa's) Lisa was up in her bedroom getting ready, it was now 8:45 Becky was dressed and her hair was done and now the other women were getting ready. Becky just finished taking the rollers out of Lisa's hair and now she was brushing the massive amount of Lisa's hair into an up do once she finished she stood back and looked at Lisa,

"Ok now lets do your makeup" Becky said

Emma came in the room she was all dressed and ready to go she told her Mama Uncle crane and Uncle Brian are here with 2 more cars full of women, I think its Daddy's family,"

"Oh I am not read yet" Lisa exclaimed,

"Don't worry Mama I will let them in"

Emma went back downstairs to let meet them. Hannah was opening the door for Matt's Family, well the women in Matt's Family. Emma was at the bottom of the stairs Annie was the first in the house and Looked at Emma, "My you must be Emma I am your Grandma Annie went over to hug her," and let me introduced herself to Hannah and Kelley, Matt's Aunt Julie and daughter Erica and Your uncle Simon's girlfriend Cecelia Your aunt Mary and her daughters Chrissie and Jenny and your aunt Ruthie and great grandma Ruth."

They all came in. Annie looked at Emma, Where is your mother?"

"Oh Mama is upstairs getting ready she looks so beautiful, Come on I'll show you."

Annie followed Emma upstairs, and knocked on her mother's door

"Hold on a minute Lisa is just slipping into her dress," Becky called out

Then she put a blue garter belt on a few minutes later Becky opened the door to let Emma and Annie in. Lisa saw Annie.

"Hi Annie it's been a long time."

"Lisa you are breath taking" Annie exclaimed

and went over and hugged her gently so as not to mess her up.

"I see you met Emma" Lisa said "And this here is Becky, she will be my matron of honor and Emma will be my Jr maid of honor won't you sweetie," as she kissed her daughter "I guess you must have already met Ethan,?"

"Yes I did, he was in the car with Matt when they met us in town a little while ago."

Crane walked in with Brian and Guthrie, and said "Hey do you have all the stuff, food and everything ready to go we will take it over to the 4 H fairgrounds."

"Yes we do" Hannah told him.

"Well let me head up to talk with Lisa for a minute then then we will load up the truck head out and drop the stuff off."

"No you stay here and get changed, I know your clothes are in the truck and you need more time than the rest of us to get all prettied up " Brian teased, "Guthrie and I can drop the stuff off then we will head home to get ready no sense us having to come back to drop you back off"

"OK fine" Crane said,

Crane helped Brian and Guthrie load the truck up and then Brian and Guthrie took off

Crane headed upstairs to see Lisa" He knocked on the door, "OK if I come in Becky is Lisa dressed?"

" Come on in honey." Becky answered,

He stepped in "Wow Lisa, You look beautiful" he said as he saw her, "you are going to take Matt's breath away,"

Lisa blushed then Becky shooed him out 'You my handsome husband if you want to be ready to walk her down the aisle you need to shower and get dressed John Piedmont, the photographer is going to be here to take pictures soon,

Crane took his stuff to the kids bathroom got showered and dressed, and was ready in 20 minutes The photographer was there and he helped Lisa down stairs and everyone else that had been upstairs followed behind them. Those who were downstairs saw Lisa, and oohed and ahhed over how beautiful she was . Becky put the head piece on Lisa with the veil which was her something new So the wedding dress was the borrowed the garter belt was Blue, then Annie grabbed a package from Grandma Ruth Lisa opened it

"Oh My" Lisa said as she pulled out a beautiful antique string of pearls Annie put it on her and fastened it they were now ready and the photographer proceeded to take pictures.

At the Circle 7 Matt and Ethan and the other two cars filled with the Men in his family got to the house at roughly 8:45 he had introduced them to the rest of the McFadden men There was his brothers Simon, and Sam and David, his Grandpa the Colonel and Their adopted son George His uncle Hank and his son John His brother in law Carlos and his son Charlie. and of course his dad Eric after the introductions,

Matt pulled Simon aside and handed him the 2 wedding Bands, "I hope you will be my best man bro', I know your were kind of young last time and I kind of regret having Robbie do it when I married Sarah,but this time around I want nothing more than you and Ethan of course stand up for me."

"Of course I will Matt" and Simon hugged him

Around 9;30 Guthrie and Brian had gotten back from the 4H fairgrounds it had taken them a little longer because as they were ready to leave Johanna Lasseter-Curtis who owned the Cake Tahoe bakery got there and needed help bringing in the cake and putting it in the refrigerator in the fairgrounds kitchen.

"Ok I hope the shower is free Brian said

He ran upstairs and got showered then Guthrie did the same when Brian was done Everyone was ready to go By 10 am everyone was ready to go Church was going to start at 10:30 and the way Lucy explained it to Lisa and Matt that the wedding would take place in the middle of church service , after the music and Lucy's Partial service around 11am she was going to announce the wedding and have Matt and his best man or in this case men come to the front of the church from the side door and then the wedding would begin Until then regardless of what time the wedding party arrived Matt Simon and Ethan would wait in the side room off the church and Lisa and her party would wait in the back part of the church in the room off the side as you would walk in.

They were ready to go by 10:15 and Matt, got in his car with Ethan, Simon and of course his Father Eric, Every one else got in to various other vehicles and headed off the Church. Around the same time back at the Lisa's ranch everyone was ready to go,

"Hmmm I just had a thought. Which car am I going in? Lisa asked, "And I know I can't drive in this dress "

"Oh its all been arranged. Hannah told her. Just as she said that, a car drove up. It was Dr Hansen and with his wife Irene driving his what he called "His Baby" his 1939 Cadillac La Salle, he got out and walked to Lisa's door

"Oh you look beautiful my dear We are at your service,"

"Oh my God its perfect" Lisa Exclaimed

He opened the door and helped Lisa in and Crane got in the other side Becky, Emma And Annie got in the car behind it to follow then and then the rest of the women and the photographer got in vehicles and they all headed to the Church

The men all made it to the church a little after 10:30 Lucy was already in the church ready to start the regular service and everyone except Matt Simon Ethan and His dad Eric went in the side door up front to the reserved seats for the grooms family Matt went in to the side door office and he was now starting to get the jitters and he was pacing back in forth in his office.

Simon told him "Relax Matt it will be fine, your not getting cold feet are you?"

"No "Matt replied , " I just see how many people are at the church it is at capacity and that is what is making me nervous."

Eric had checked outside and at 10:45 came in and announced that the Bride and her entourage has arrived. She went in to the back of the church and was waiting with Crane, Becky and Emma so everyone else took their respective seats in the reserved section on either the groom's side or the bride's side

**The Wedding**

Exactly on time as Lucy was finishing up she made the announcement that the wedding party is ready and the Wedding was to begin. The wedding started Lucy took her place as officiant and Matt, Simon and Ethan stood at the front of the church. The music started. Becky and Emma started down the aisle, then Brian and Adam were at the back of the church and closed the doors. Then once Emma and Becky reached the front of the church the Wedding march started Adam and Brian opened the doors and there stood Lisa with Crane on her side ready to walk down the Aisle. Matt took one look at her, She took his breath away, his is eyes welled up with tears, he was so happy he couldn't contain it. As she got closer to him he saw she was teary eyed too, Crane lifted her veil and kissed her on the cheek and placed her hand in Matt's. Then Lucy began the ceremony then came the vows

**I, _Matthew John_ take you _Lisa Marie_ , to be my wife, to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part. and he slid the ring on her finger**

**I, _Lisa Marie_, take you _Matthew John_, to be my husband to have and to hold from this day forward, for better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish; from this day forward until death do us part and she slid the ring on his finger.**

Then Lucy pronounced they were husband and wife and he could kiss the Bride and then she made the formal announcement and introduced the new Dr and Mrs Matthew Camden. The place erupted with applause and then the recessional music started and they proceeded to got back down the aisle to the back of the church.

Matt and Lisa were happier than either of them could even put into words they stayed at the back of the church along with the other members of their wedding party for the receiving line as the guests exited the church Matt and Lisa finally were able to get to the car and got into the back seat

"Wow this car is incredible Whose car is it ?" Matt asked

as if on Cue The Doc and his Mrs got in the front seat, "this car is my Baby, I thought I would give you a lift "he laughed "but we will turn around and not bother you , I know you want some privacy."

Matt was happy to have the time with his new wife he told Lisa, after giving her a long slow kiss

"I hope the car drives to the reception nice and slow, I am enjoying you too much to get out of the car."

"I am so happy Matt," Lisa told him "I love you so much I feel like my heart will burst with joy."

The Doc must have heard Matt's comment about wanting to stay in the car for a while , Lets say he took the scenic route to the 4H fairgrounds, By the time their car arrived, everyone else had already gotten there and was waiting for them

**The reception**

The Doc opened the car door, Matt got out and then helped his beautiful bride out of the car then looked at the fairgrounds in amazement , the whole town had gathered as well as their families and the place was transformed into a wedding wonderland , you would never know this was spur of the moment planning Everyone loved Lisa and the kids and were anxious to get to know her new husband they made it perfect. For next little while they spent time spent having pictures taken. The reception seem to go on forever, with all the customary things done. A lot of people made toasts to the Bride and groom some of which almost made Matt cry and a few times did make Lisa cry. Every one ate There was a DJ and a live band. Matt and Lisa took their places and had their traditional first dance to Lisa's Favorite song the song they had Made love to the first time _Celine Dion's_, _If You asked me to_. After their first dance, Lisa then danced with Ethan and Matt danced with Emma and then everyone else was invited to dance. It was getting later in the afternoon and The cake was brought out they cut the cake together then Matt gently fed some to Lisa making sure not to get any on her, But when it was Lisa's turn she wasn't so gentle at the very end she smooshed a little of it his face. He laughed and then kissed her making sure he got what was on his face on to her face now. Then they were handed a towel he gently wiped her face making sure not to mess up her make up and then he wiped his own face. At some point Crane went back to Lisa's with Ethan and Emma to have them pack an overnight bag and drop it back at his place then they came back to the reception. The party continued on into the night.

"I don't think this party will ever end" Matt said,as he pulled her aside "I mean I appreciate everything and heck they can party all they want but I am getting kind of anxious and excited for the wedding night"

"Me too" She said as she kissed him "Well if we want to let them know it is winding down we should do the bouquet and garter belt toss that will let everyone know we want to go soon."

"Good idea" Matt said, "Hey one question, Are Emma and Ethan coming home with us?"

"Oh no. They are staying with Crane and Becky tonight Crane left with them for a bit and had them grab some stuff for overnight. Its already dropped at their house."

"Oh that's great" he said

Lisa went over to Hannah and Becky and told them that they wanted to wind things down at least for her and Matt. She wanted to toss the Bouquet and he in turn wanted to toss her garter belt. Becky went over to Crane to tell him and then he went over and told had the DJ turn down the music. Then they stood in the center of the crowd with the Microphone,

Becky said "can I have your attention please. May I have all the single Ladies line up the bride is going to toss out her bouquet".

They all lined up and Lisa turned her back to them

Then Becky said "Lets count it down on 1...2...3" then Lisa tossed it over her head and Cecelia caught it,

Then it was Matt's turn He sat Lisa in a chair and the DJ played some very erotic type music and Matt ran his hand up her thigh and then ducked his head under her dress and grabbed her garter belt with his teeth and took it off her that way

Then Crane took the Microphone "now all you single guys your turn line up" and they did.

Matt stood in front of them Then Crane said " Let's count it down on 1...2...3" And Matt flung out the garter belt and Simon caught it.

Then the same erotic music was played and Simon had Cecelia sit in the same chair Lisa had been in and he put the Garter belt on Cecelia. With in the next half hour it was announced that the Bride and Groom wanted to head out but the party could continue as long as everyone wanted. Every one lined up to see Lisa and Matt off they threw the rice at them then Simon handed Matt the keys to the rental Matt had been using Simon had driven it over from the church and it had been decorated with the Just married stuff on it. Matt Helped Lisa into the car Emma and Ethan came to their mama's side of the car

" We are staying at uncle Crane and Aunt Becky's tonight we will see you in the morning, She kissed both of them and Matt got into the drivers side everyone waved goodbye and They headed home,

**The Wedding night**

As they got closer to the ranch a truck was leaving her house,

"It looks like Adam and Hannah, I wonder what they were doing there. Maybe she had forgotten something Lisa said

When they got there the lights were off but there was a glow coming from the living room and the upstairs master bedroom. He got of the car and went and opened the door for Lisa and helped her out of the car and when she was standing up he picked her up and carried her to the house he reached for the door the door was unlocked. The fire place was going and that was the only light in the room , He carried her up the stairs, the bedroom door was ajar he pushed it open the bedroom was dimly lit with a lot of candles the bed covers were pulled down and the bed had been covered in rose petals and there was champagne chilling in an ice bucket with 2 personalized champagne glasses and there were strawberry's and whipped cream set out for them.

"Wow will you look at this" Matt exclaimed

"Well I guess that explains what Adam and Hannah were doing here Lisa said. He lay her on the bed She sat up and had him help her take her head piece off. He then went to pour them both a glass of Champagne they toasted and sipped it and he took her glass from her and lay her back on the bed '

He kissed her, "You Looked so beautiful today when they opened the door at the church, you took my breath away"

He had her sit up he unzipped her dress and helped her out of it then she undid his tie and unbuttoned his shirt and slid it off his shoulders She was kissing him as she was unbuckling his belt and undoing his pants she pushed them down his legs and he stepped out of them he was only standing there in his underwear. Underwear that barely contained his erection, She was standing there with just her lace panties and her lacey strapless push up Bra on he removed the pins that had kept her hair up and her beautiful curls fell down her back he ran his fingers through her hair,

"Your hair is so beautiful" he told as he lay her back on the bed. He removed her bra and she lowered his underwear to expose him. He quickly removed her panties he covered her body with his he kissed every part of her She wanted all he could give her, the decided not to use any protection and he quickly and fervently possessed her She matched his rhythm with her hips thrusting to him He went faster and faster she grabbed him tight her finger nails going into his back he brought her to her release as she shook in his arms he gave way to his own release. They repeated this many times through out the night until at some point they gave way to exhaustion and fell asleep in each others arms.

**The next Morning**

They were awake early it was before sun up so it was about 4:30 Lisa had wanted to do a final check on things, then get the kids from Becky and Cranes they had to be to the Airport by 11am to get on the flight for 12:30 pm She knew the Kids wouldn't be over to the house before 9:00. She went to move

"No don't get up yet, he told her "its too early You do not have any chores to worry about today Crane, Brian and the rest of them said they would take care of it today and the rest of the time we are gone, Stay in bed with me a little while longer,"

She couldn't resist her naked husband, She too was still laying naked with him her long hair all tossled from last nights love making he kissed and sucked on her neck and behind her ear, she moved out from under him and pushed him on his back. and did the same to him and then she led a trail of kisses down his stomach and kissed him below his belly button but above his... His Breath hitched he knew what came next she hadn't done that to him in over 10 years and he wanted her to do it now she looked up at him a look questioning him if she should... take him.

He softly spoke " Oh please Lisa and she showed him again how much she loved him

"Oh that was so good" he said

She moved up on him and kissed him,

He maneuvered quickly getting her underneath him "I guess it is my turn to return the favor"

When he finished, they both lay there he moved up and lay beside her his head was on her chest. They fell asleep then woke back up around 7:30. He was awake first and toyed with her body,

"Hey beautiful want to take a shower with me?"

She woke up and smiled at him, "Sounds like a wonderful idea, we can take a shower then we can play in the Jacuzzi and I still have some bath oils left."

They showered and washed each other off then put water in the Jacuzzi tub and soaked in that for awhile they made love then got up, He dressed quickly,

"I am going to run downstairs and put on some coffee," he said "While you get dressed"

"Yes I need to do that rather quickly too. We need to make sure everything is packed we have to all leave by 10:15 and its 8:45 now the twins should be here around 9 am" she told him

She dried her hair but just pulled it off her face Matt had told her he liked it down so when she wasn't working the ranch, she would wear it down for him. The twins came in with eggs and milk pails as Lisa was downstairs a little while later and Matt was in the kitchen with the kids making breakfast. They ate quickly and then went to the bedrooms to finish packing.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

**Monday off to New York**

Crane and Becky stopped by to see the off and they left around 10:15. they got to the airport a little after 11 am. Matt returned the rental car and they checked in and checked all but their carry ons, The boarded and the plane left pretty much on time. There was only one stop over in Reno then straight to La Guardia the travel time was only going to be a little over 8 hours but with the time change they wouldn't be landing until 11:30 pm but at least New York never slept so they would be able to stop for food for the apartment when they got in and at least he had his Ford explorer at the airport so he they wouldn't have to take a cab or rely on any other forms of public transportation, They all slept for part of the 2nd part of the flight. The kids were wide awake by the time they landed it was nearly midnight,

"Wow "the kids said as they got outside with all their stuff and were getting into Matt's Explorer "New York is way bigger than Reno" ( which was the closest city to Truckee)

Lisa hadn't been to New York in a long time, Her parents and her Brothers lived here most of the time, they were in the fashion industry Famous designers but she had no contact with them since she had told them about her pregnancy and her mum told her in no uncertain terms that unless she got an abortion she would be an embarrassment and wanted nothing more to do with her . At least she was lucky enough to have the money 50 million her grandfather had left her when he died so that is how she had managed, She was deep in thought, Matt saw the expression on her face

" You Ok Lisa"

"Yeah I am fine I was just remembering the last time I was here it was to see my parents You remember what I told my mum said to me"

" Yes I remember. She shook the thought out of her head " I don't want to think about that anymore" she said

Then they drove towards Matt's apartment in Manhattan, and he stopped at the store before heading home He knew he didn't have a whole lot of food in the apartment so he had to pick up stuff 15 minutes and 3 bags later her got back in the vehicle,

"I thought you said you only needed a couple of things" she teased him

"Well I wasn't home much so I never ate there and I knew we would need everything for breakfast and any other meal we eat there,so I had to get all this" he said as he loaded the back.

The kids were still wide awake it was 1 am by the time they made it to his apartment. He parked in the garage and then they went in and took the elevator to the 3rd floor Matt opened the door for them.

"Wow this really is a bachelor pad" Lisa said,

Emma looked at all the stuff all over the place. "You really live here dad?"

"Well in my own defense I was never really home I was at the hospital Mostly"

Then Ethan said "I would hate to see what you would have done to this place if you were here all the time" Then they all laughed,

He put the groceries on the table and then cleared off the couch, it pulled out into a bed which he proceeded to open up for the twins

"I hope you don't mind sharing a bed, There is only one bedroom here"

"Its fine daddy" Emma said The twins took turns in the bathroom getting ready for bed Matt went and made another trip back to the garage for the rest of their stuff While Lisa put away the food.

"Me and Emma are hungry" Ethan said

So she made the four of them sandwiches. They ate when Matt got back into the apartment then they twins went to bed and Lisa and Matt went into the bedroom. Even though it had been a long day and they were tired they had a quickie and then fell asleep.

**Tuesday**

Then next morning the unfamiliar sounds of New York traffic woke Lisa and the kids up. around 7:30am which would be 4:30 Pacific time Lisa slipped out of bed. Matt was still sleeping She went into the kitchen and started coffee. The kids were up not knowing what to do with themselves,

"Is daddy up yet" Emma asked.

"No he is still sleeping. Do you think you two can be good for a little bit while I go hop in the shower?"

"We will replied Ethan

"Oh and also let daddy sleep. Lisa added.

She was done within 20 minutes and was dressed She pulled her still damp hair back into chignon today. When she came out she proceeded to make breakfast as the kids took turns taking showers. She poured her self and Matt coffee and went to the bedroom to see if Matt wanted to get up yet. She put his coffee in the bedside table, and bent over and kissed him

"Good morning sleepy head."

He stirred and groggily said "MMMM good morning, oh I smell coffee" he sat up and she handed it to him. "What time is it?" he asked

"About 8:15" she replied, "I suppose I should get up" he said pushing himself out of bed and grabbing some sweat pants from the dresser drawer "I need a shower."

"You will have to wait your turn" Lisa said "Ethan just got in there now. But at least Emma already took hers already"

He put a shirt on and walked into the kitchen they made breakfast together although it wasn't as easy working on it together in his tiny kitchen. When Ethan was done Matt hopped in the shower next. He was in and out quickly he knew they had a lot to do today. First and foremost he had to go to the hospital and talk to the medical director his friend Dr. Brad Anderson and he need to have his exit interview But at least Dr. Anderson faxed all the appropriate paperwork to Dr. Hansen Then he would have to get boxes from U haul and rent a cargo trailer to attach to his Ford explorer. He called Brad to set up a time

Brad said "10 am should be fine" then Matt hung up

He walked back into the living room His kids were watching TV, Something in the short amount of time he knew them he had never seen them do,

"Wow your actually watching TV," He said

as he sat down next to then put his socks and shoes on, Lisa walked in the room.

"They don't do to much of that at home too much to do there, they were bored so I told them they could,"

"We do have to go soon." Matt said "We have a lot to do today.

He gave her the list of things he needed to get done today so because it may take a while in traffic. He grabbed a lot of empty duffle bags then they went to the garage They left and took his explorer When they got there he told her I will take you to the doctors lounge/ Office that the residents use and you and the kids can wait in there while I talk to Dr. Anderson Once we are done and I clean out my stuff from my locker in the lounge I will put it in the explorer and then we can go eat in the cafeteria." and then looking at the twins said and if you are good for mama and eat your lunch you can have ice cream sundaes" he told them

"We'll be good" they both promised

Matt left them in the Lounge he left to go to see Brad and told a surprised staff that his _wife and children were in the lounge waiting for him _They thought he was kidding but he gave them a brief explanation and then went to his exit interview

There was a TV in the lounge so she gave the kids the remote they put on ESPN.

She thought to herself _"Leave it to them to find a station in New York that would make them feel at home it had a replay of the PBR( Professional Bull Riding)"_

She saw which Locker and desk belonged to Matt. She thought about packing it for him but didn't want to over step any boundaries in doing that for him As much as she wanted something to do. So she sat there and watched the TV with the kids there had been several people in and out over the past hour as she waited for Matt to come back she just merely told them she was waiting for her husband and they didn't question her until this last person another Doctor she gathered by her attire, walked in The Doctor, unbeknownst to Lisa it was Dr. Sarah Glass Matt's newly ex-wife

"Hello" Sarah said to her, "Can I help you with something?"

"Oh no we are just waiting for my husband who had been a resident, He is having his exit interview with Dr. Anderson then he will come back and clear out his stuff and then we will be heading out" Lisa said

Then Sarah looked at the duffel bags next to Lisa she recognized at least one of them, it was the bag she had bought Matt for one of their camping trips .

"Oh when is your husband coming back? "

"We hope daddy will be back soon it has been like an hour" Emma said

"and daddy said if we are good we can have ice cream sundaes after lunch" Ethan added

Sarah thought she would hang around until whomever her husband was got back.

Then she looked at the kids again, and thought to her self "_They looked like, No it can't be I am imagining it,"_ she went to the corner of the room by her locker, (which was unviewable from the door as you came in) a short time later Matt came in

"Daddy its bout time you got back" Emma said

"Yeah were starving" Ethan told him

He went over and kissed Lisa "I though about packing your stuff up but since I didn't ask I didn't want to cross any line or anything Mattie"

"It would have been fine Lisa I wouldn't have had a problem with you packing it up, Well let me grab my duffel bags and if you want to start on my locker I will take care of the desk."

Lisa went behind the row of lockers to see the female doctor that she had talked to earlier there Lisa had forgotten that she had been in there, Sarah had her locker open and she pretended to be going through her locker her face was hidden from Lisa, Sarah didn't want to let this women see the tears in her eyes Then she sat on the bench with and took her lap top out she had her back towards Lisa as she pretended to do some work on it Lisa busied herself clearing out Matt's Locker.

Sarah was in shock and she thought to herself _"this Lisa person said she was waiting for her husband Was this the same Lisa from Matt's high school years? and these kids called him daddy when he walked in, I feel as if I am in the twilight zone. Is this why he wanted the divorce so badly how long had he been seeing her,"_

She wanted to go and scream at him but resisted the urge because there were kids here. She closed her locker and put away her laptop and snuck around the side into the ladies room, she decided to wait there until they left, she was in one of the stalls when Lisa and the girl came in they chatted as they used the facilities and Sarah overheard them say they were headed to the cafeteria, then they left By the time she came out of the ladies room and back into the lounge they were gone and all Matt's belongings were gone she went over to what once was a desk they shared all of his personal things were gone and left in a drawer still were her things, he left a picture of the 2 of them she picked it up and held it to her chest, "You really never were mine were you." She decided to go to the cafeteria and see if she could get him alone.

Lisa, Matt and the twins were setting there stuff on the table, they had already put Matt's stuff in the explorer As the put the food down and sat to eat

Ethan said " I thought you said we could get an ice cream sundae"

"After you finish this" Lisa pointed to the food in front of him"

Matt added "think of this You really should wait because you don't want the ice cream to melt while you and Emma are eating your lunch"

"I guess your are right daddy Ethan said

Sarah came into the cafeteria to get coffee she saw Matt and the others sitting eating Lunch and watched and waited out of his view for an opportunity to get him alone

"Hey Ethan do you have to use the bathroom?" Matt asked

"No I used it in the lounge daddy"

"Ok well I will be right back" he excused himself and went to the men's room.

He didn't see Sarah as he walked by her and she got up and followed him as he rounded the corner into the hallway she caught up to him and she grabbed his arm and jerked him to a stop

"Hey what the ...?"

" We need to talk" Demanded Sarah

"Oh No we don't" he replied "We said everything we needed to in court we are divorced and I don't have to talk to you anymore"

He jerked away and went into the men's room, Sarah waited for him

Matt used the facilities and then paced back and forth saying out loud "She better not be out there I am certainly not having a confrontation with her here not with Lisa and the kids just done the hall,

Matt washed his hands and went out the door Sarah was still there

"God Sarah what do you want" he said angrily

"I want you to know that I know"

"You know what?" he said as he grabbed her by the arm and dragged her down the hall away from the cafeteria he open the door to a vacant conference room turned on the light and shut the door.

"I was in the locker room earlier and met her although we didn't introduce ourselves she said she was just waiting for her husband, I was in the back at my locker when you came in and heard the whole conversation I want to know how long were you seeing her? Is that why you wanted the divorce so badly to go to Lisa, and I also heard both of those kids call you daddy. I knew there was something familiar looking about them when I saw them." Sarah said

"Lets get this straight Sarah I NEVER cheated on you. He said angrily " I hadn't even known where she was for 10 years until Thursday night when Lucy called me I then went to see Lucy and then went to see Lisa that's when I found out about my kids that's why Lisa left she had found out she was pregnant that's why she broke off our engagement and left she panicked. You should know my character better than to think I would cheat on you. Remember it is not my character in question YOU are the one who ended the marriage with the abortion." Matt spit the word out

"But you are married to that ... _WOMAN_?" Sarah asked.

Then Matt answered "Yes I am married to Lisa, Lucy married us Sunday in her new church that she has just started to minister in, which happens to be in the same town in which Lisa has been living in. Is that enough info for you Sarah if not too bad Now I am going to go back to the cafeteria with my WIFE AND KIDS I would appreciate it if you not follow me out there I don't want a scene in front of my kids."

"_His Kids"_ she said to herself "_I guess I can't tell him if he wont even talk to me I guess I have no choice on what to do now because with him remarried there is no hope for us regardless whether or not I tell him"_

With that he left her in the conference room. He walked a few feet down the hall then stopped, He knew he could not go back to his family in the mood he was in so he took a few deep breaths and put on a happy face. When he got back to the cafeteria the kids were at the ice cream bar making ice cream sundaes and Lisa was at the table still eating, and on her cell phone so he went over to where the kids were and looked at the massive amount of ice cream Ethan was putting in his dish and shook his head and laughed

"You still a little hungry there Ethan?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet daddy, Ethan is ALWAYS hungry" Emma told him.

Matt followed them to the cashier and paid for their ice cream and then they went and sat back at the table, Lisa was just getting off the phone

He gave her a questioning look

"What... I just had to check to make sure everything was ok at home" She said

"I didn't say a word" He teased "Hey do you want Ice cream

"Well...Not a whole bowl but if you get some I will have some of yours,"

He laughed at her answer "Boy some things never change, you always say that and then you end up eating more than half of the ice cream" he went and got a Big banana Split and brought it back,

" Ah you remembered this was my favorite. they happily ate and he was right she did eat most of it.

Matt had finally actually relaxed after his confrontation with Sarah. He looked at the empty bowls and sat back then said "Ok if we are done we really should get going we need to get to the U haul place"

So they left the hospital went to the U haul Place and got a cargo trailer and had it attached to the explorer and then got a ton of boxes, As they drove back to the apartment They got back to the apartment, and started to pack

"Well at least we wont be taking most of the furniture. It belongs here this was a furnished apartment." Matt told them

"Hey do you think we can put off packing for a bit she asked, The kids have never been to New York and I thought we could go exploring Lisa asked " They have never been on a subway before"

"And you want them to have THAT experience?" Matt raised his eyebrow

"Can we go see where the trade center was" Emma asked "and some of the city" Ethan added "Its only 1:00 daddy we have a lot of time Then all three of them Lisa Emma and Ethan said "PLEASE"

"Well OK, what should we do today Hmmmm , want to go to times square or we could go to the children's museum or better yet I know the central park zoo I know you guys love animals "

"Yeah lets go to the zoo daddy" Emma said

Lisa knew right where it was. her dad when she was little used to take her there because it want to far from where there offices at Forester fashions, in the garment district Her parents were the top designers in New York and working right along side them were her two older brothers or at least they were 10 years ago. Emma, Ethan and Matt were talking and making plans when Matt suddenly realized Lisa got quiet and had a far away look on her face and her eyes were watery. He said her name, She didn't answer she was to far off in thought, He walked over and touched her face.

"Lisa, are you ok, What's wrong? He asked , and he startled her She hadn't heard what he asked her,

"Uhm sorry what did you say"

" Where were you just now, I asked you what's wrong,?" He said,

then She looked at the kids. and shook her head," Uhm... it's nothing, so are we going to the zoo"

"Yeah daddy said we are" Ethan said,

"Well why don't you two go to the bathroom before we head to the subway station." she told them

They headed down the little hallway to the bathroom, She turned back to Matt.

"Ok they are out of earshot "You want to tell me now what's wrong" He asked her,

"It was just a flash back Mattie, from when I was younger and still living with my parents You know before I went to live with my grandparents in Alta Dena CA. My parents company is on the edge of the garment district not to far from the zoo and my dad would often take me to that zoo when he had time for me, it just kinda shook me up when you were talking about it that's all"

He hugged her "are you sure you want to go then?"

"Yes I am sure I am ok"

**Unexpected reunion**

They left the apartment and headed for the subway station too the train to the Fifth Avenue/59th Street station in Manhattan, and walk north four blocks to 64th Street. they got in the park just after 2pm. They stayed a couple hours then left about 4:00. They walked out of zoo and want south further into the garment district to find something to eat. Lisa hadn't been in that neighbor hood in a very long time and even though she tried to steer her family in another direction they kept heading dangerously close to her family's company they were heading down 5th Avenue getting very close to Bryant park,

That's when HE spotted her." I don't believe it That looks like Sissy no it can't be But it is I would know my sister anywhere. "Thorne Forester said to himself

Sissy was the nickname he and his Brother and other sister called their baby sister He hadn't seen or heard from here in over 10 years. Not since she had the fight with mum and dad. His parents never said what the fight was about but they never spoke of her and none of them ever heard from her again Then he saw the man she was with, he recognized him too That looked like that guy she was dating in high school Matt something or other, he had only met him on two occasions when he had went to visit Lisa in Glen Oak. his sister was sitting on the bench looking at some pamphlets and the man she was with and the two kids were headed over to a food and drink Kiosk. He headed over towards his sister and crossed the street and sat down on the bench beside her she looked up and wave of panic came over her

" Oh my god Thorne,... are you alone... mum and dad aren't here are they? Maybe I should..."

He cut her off and hugged her close, " Its ok Sissy shhh no they are not here. They are actually in the Milan office with Kristen"

Lisa sat back after Thorne released her an breathed a sigh of relief

He sat back and looked at her "its been 10 years Sissy where have you been? Are back to stay in New York I have so many questions? Why did you stay away so long? I can tell by your expression that if I didn't spot you here that you wouldn't have made contact would you,?"

"I am just visiting and tying up some loose ends here then heading back my ranch in Truckee and No you are right I wouldn't have contacted anyone here."

"Truckee, you've been in Truckee Why didn't aunt Peggy and uncle Billy tell anyone while they were alive,

"Oh Mum and dad knew alright they just didn't want anything to do with me or well mostly mum she never had shown me any kind of affection you know" Lisa said teary eyed, But then again mum never wanted me anyway that's why I lived with nana and grandpa, I was the surprise they didn't want you know they had no time for me I am 6 years younger than you Thorne I was the unwelcomed surprise So with what happened 10 yrs. ago that gave them the excuse they needed to well disown me" Lisa said

"You may have had issues with them Sissy but not me, Ridge or Kristen, why didn't you contact us? It bothered us horribly to not know where you were but It nearly killed Ridge you remember how close you two were He was out to California every other week it seemed to see you" Thorne said.

There was an undertone of hurt in his voice.

"It was too complicated back then I had my hands full and my own heartache to deal with," she told him teary eyed.

She went on to tell him what happened 10 years ago with having the twins and Matt and her life up until the present and how Matt found her.

While they were talking Matt and the kids were getting drinks at the kiosk.

As Matt was paying Emma looked over to Lisa. and said "Daddy who is that man talking with Mama and why is she crying?"

" I have no idea he replied lets go find out."

They got over to where Lisa and the blond man was sitting just has he hugged her again "I love you Sissy don't ever disappear again,"

Lisa let go of Thorne and looked to see Matt and the kids behind him, She wiped her eyes Matt handed her the Iced tea he bought her

He asked her "Are you ok honey?" he said as he glared at Thorne,

"Yes I am Ok" she said sniffling, "Its just been a long time, Mattie, "this is Thorne and looked at the twins he my brother which makes him your uncle"

Matt shook Thorne's hand. Then Thorne said to Matt, "I told Sissy she can't disappear on us again. but then again now that she told me where you live I won't let her."

Matt questioned "Sissy?" Oh that's right I remember Ridge used to call you that all the time because you were the baby."

" Oh speaking of Ridge" Thorne said "I had better call him Macy my wife and Chase, my son are meeting me at Brooke and Ridge's in Manhasset out on Long Island"

Lisa and Matt talked about what had taken place with Thorne just now. Thorne dialed Ridge's cell phone after just one ring Ridge answered, and he must have seen the caller ID

"Hey Thorne are you on your way yet?"

" Nope Still at Bryant park" Thorne said

"You were suppose to have left at least a half hour ago Ridge said" Macy and Chase are already here, Chase is in the pool with Bridget, So why are you still at Bryant park?"

"I was distracted and you are not going to believe by who I still can't believe she is here" Thorne said

"Who?" Asked Ridge

"Sissy and her family . I am assuming it is ok with you if I bring them?" Thorne asked

"Oh my god of course it is, Is she ok did she tell you where she has been?"

"Oh I heard the whole story But that is for her to tell you. I will tell you this Mum and Dad have known where she is all along She has been in Truckee."

"Can I talk to her Thorne? Give her your cell" Ridge said,

"Sissy,... Ridge wants to talk to you." Thorne said as he handed her his cell phone.

" Hi Ridge" Lisa said in a quiet and shaky voice

"Oh Sissy its so good to hear your voice I missed you baby sister, it was bad enough that mum and dad had you live with nana and grandpa but when you disappeared it nearly Killed me"

"I am sorry Ridge. There is to much to tell you so not over the phone ok."

"Well we can talk when you get here I will throw more food on the grill We have plenty and if you have a bathing suite bring it otherwise..."

Whoa Ridge slow down I have to check with Mattie before I can make any plans we still have to go back to his apartment and get his stuff packet for the cross country trip we have back to Truckee."

Matt heard her, then told her "Its fine Lisa .You haven't seen them in a long time We can go we aren't in any rush we have 3 weeks to get back to California."

Ridge was on the other end "Sissy you said Mattie as in Matt Camden you are still with him?"

"Well we recently got back together and got married this past Sunday."

"I am so happy for you .So I definitely won't take no for an answer you two are coming," Ridge stated firmly

"Well actually ...it is the four of us We have twins Ethan and Emma they are 9 1/2"

"Wait... didn't you just say that you two just got back together, But they are his kids?" Ridge questioned

"Ok I might as well give you a little bit of history too but I don't want to get into that much over the phone"

She went on to tell him what happened 10 years ago then briefly about the past few days. While they talked Thorne and Matt continued to talk to each other and the twins, Emma and Ethan told them that they had bathing suits with them in their suitcases at Matt's apartment and Mama had one too, They decided that instead of the subway Thorne would take them back to the apartment to pick up some clothes and bathing suits but Thorne would take them out the Brooke and Ridge's because the cargo trailer was already hitched to Matt's explorer. So when Lisa got off the phone they all walked to the parking garage where Thorne's van was parked they got in and went to Matt's apartment then headed to Manhasset.

They got there within an hour Ridge was outside waiting for them when they got there Lisa got out and Ridge looked at her he couldn't believe his baby sister was all grown up He walked over to the vehicle and hugged her tight

"I missed you little sister"

Matt came around the van and shook Ridge's hand "nice to see you again"

The kids got out and Lisa introduced them to their uncle Ridge He led them inside and told the kids where they could change into their bathing suits the went into the main living area which had a sliding glass door out to the back deck where the pool was Brooke and Macy were in the room Ridge made the introductions Then Macy went over to kiss her husband Thorne. Matt also went to change into his swimming trunks Then Matt and the kids came out all dressed in for the pool and Brooke gave them each a towel Then all the spouses which included Matt gave Lisa, Ridge and Thorne some privacy by going outside with the kids and Joining Chase and Bridget at the pool..

Ridge motioned for Lisa to sit, "Ok you only briefly told me what had been going on Sissy, But I want more detail,"

For the next half hour she went over the details about finding out she was pregnant, the fight she had with her mum and her disowning her while dad just sat there and said nothing. How she broke it off with Mattie because she loved him too much to saddle him with a baby. What she had been up to in more detail for the past 10 years and on to recent events since last Thursday seeing Lucy and then having Mattie arrive in Truckee Friday because he learned she was there and the whirlwind weekend that followed and ended up with their being married Sunday and now they in New York to pack Mattie up and then they were to drive back to Truckee.

Ridge was furious with his parents. Lisa told him that they did know where she was because aunt Peggy had told them she had called her parents from time to time to let them know about Lisa and the twins and they basically hung up on her.

"All this F! #ing time we lost with you,... with our niece and nephew and you not knowing our kids!"

"I hate to say this but unfortunately,we are not here in New York for too long either, We have to pack Mattie's stuff up and by Wednesday at the latest be on the road to head back home. We had planned on making it a vacation stopping along the way," Lisa said.

"Hey I have an Idea I think Forester Fashion Industries can do without its lead designers and executive for 2 weeks, to go with you, because 2 days isn't enough time with you after not seeing you for 10 years. What do you think Thorne?"

"Well Thorne said " I think we should let Lisa, Matt and the kids drive cross county by themselves it is sort of their honeymoon and Matt needs time to get to know Lisa again and get to know his kids, remember he has been in their lives for less than a week. I have an idea when you get back to the ranch we can all fly out and spend time with you there,"

" I like Thorne's Idea better, But if you want you can help us pack Mattie's stuff up, early tomorrow morning then we can have the late morning and afternoon exploring the city."

They made plans for tomorrow then Lisa went to get changed into her bathing suit and then joined everyone out side on the back deck by the pool. They spent time getting to know each other again eating and playing but by about 9:30 they were getting tired so they all quickly changed and Thorne brought Lisa Matt and the twins back to his apartment in Manhattan and told them they would be all be there by 7 am Back in the apartment the kids got ready for bed and were asleep almost immediately

Matt and Lisa spent about an hour packing his bedroom and bathroom up except for a few essentials then they decided to do the rest tomorrow. After locking the bedroom door, Lisa sat on the edge of the bed and took her sneakers off. Matt was already half undressed and he sat behind her and grabbed her from behind and pulled her more on to the bed and up to the pillows which took her completely by surprise. He moved on top of her.

" I hope your not too tired tonight" he said as he kissed her neck. " You have too many clothes on Mrs Camden, " He said as he pulled her t-shirt off then undid the front clasp on her bra. He toyed with her breasts with his mouth

"MMM that feels so good Mattie" She told him

" I am going to make you feel even better, what do you want, me to do to you? Do you want my mouth on you or do you want me inside you?" he asked her as pulled her shorts of then her panties.

"Oh you like to play huh," he said

"Oh Mattie" she moaned a slow tingling started to envelop her. He completely loved her again until they lay spent in each others arms and that's how they fell asleep.

Lisa awoke to a knock on the bedroom door She looked at the clock it was only 5:30. She nudged Matt. he was still on top of her, there was a knock again this time she heard Emma " Mama are you awake ?"

Upon hearing Emma, Matt completely woke up and he responded "Yes Emma we are awake, we will be out in a little bit," he said

Emma said "Ok" and walked back to the living room where Ethan had just put on the TV.

"I guess we are getting up he said and kissed Lisa, He threw on some sweats and a t-shirt too and Lisa put on the same clothes she had on yesterday until she could take a shower. They made breakfast and they took turns taking showers. Matt's bedroom was packed he had the clothes he would need as they were traveling into separate suitcases and everything else packed leaving just what he needed for tonight and the morning out he did the same with the bathroom,

There was a knock at the door a little after 7:30 it was Thorne Ridge and their wives and kids They adults quickly got all but the bare essentials packed and loaded into Matts Explorer and the attached cargo trailer, they were done by 9:30 Ridge borrowed Matt's computer and went online to get ferry tickets to Ellis island and tickets to go to the Ellis Island and Statue of Liberty tour. The agreed with the traffic it would be quicker to take the subway It took them a 3 subway transfers and about an hour to get to lower Manhattan battery park to get to the ferry they got on the ferry and were and headed to the island. Matt watched the wonder in his kids eyes as they got closer and realized how massive the statue was. They were able to tour the whole island. Lisa enjoyed being with not only Matt and the kids but her brothers and their families too . At the end of the tour after they got to lower Manhattan Battery Park they took the short Subway ride to where the twin towers used to be and saw the construction on the new building and the memorial. Then they went to Charly's on Trinity Place to eat then when they were done they all headed back to Matt's Ridge and Thorne and their families went to the garage to get there vehicles and told them they would be back to see them off in the morning and help with any unfinished packing. Matt, Lisa and the kids waved them off and headed upstairs to the apartment

They packed up the rest of the kitchen stuff and Matt figured he could run to the coffee shop around the corner for breakfast in the morning. he figured he would leave the entertainment center with the TV hooked up for last so the kids could watch it. They knew they had an early day tomorrow and were in bed even before the sunset.

**They are on there way**

**Wednesday** the kids awoke to a knock on the apartment door Ethan looked at the time on the cable box it was only 5:30 am the chain was on the door and Ethan left it on and opened the door a crack.

"Hey kiddo, are you going to open the door" Uncle Ridge said

"Uhm OK hang on, He closed the door and undid the chain.

"Mama and daddy aren't up yet" Emma told

Then as Ridge and Thorne came in with all kinds of food and juice and the most important thing Coffee, They set the stuff on the table, Lisa was awake she thought she heard the kids but then it was quiet, she lay sleepily in her husband's arms he was still asleep He toyed with his chest hair and nibbled on one of his nipples which got a sleepy response of a soft moan

"oh so you are starting to wake up" she said Do you want to play?"

Another moan escaped his lips "Oohhhh"

"Oh yes" he said.

"OH GOD that feels sooooo good" he moaned.

In the other room they were all chatting

"Why don't I go and harass your parents so they get out of bed" Ridge said

He walked to the bed room door he heard them moving around and what they were doing "Oh this is going to be good" he chuckled to himself.

He banged on the door very loudly " Are you two alive in there" Ridge asked

"Now that you pounded loud enough on the door to wake the dead we are" a frustrated Matt replied

"Ok Get up you two no hanky panky this morning we have work to do besides we brought food and more important COFFEE"

Lisa and Matt reluctantly got up and threw some clothes on and walked out into the living room where they were handed coffee,

"The only reason you are alive Ridge is because you brought us coffee" Lisa said as she laughed

Lisa looked at the clock on the cable box it was only 6 am "What are you doing here so early guys?" she asked

"We wanted all the time we could with you before you headed back" Thorne replied

She hugged them both. After they ate they worked the rest of the Morning, Most of the furniture came with the apartment but whatever was Matt's was loaded into the cargo trailer and Ford explorer by noon, They said their goodbyes and headed out they got to Bryant park and head through the Lincoln Tunnel and followed it to Interstate I 80 By about 5 in the afternoon they were already almost through Pennsylvania the drove a little more and got through to Ohio then found a place to stop in Cuyahoga Falls then eat and pack it in for the night.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

**The Vacation starts**

**Thursday** they side-tracked to a water park in _Cuyahoga Falls oh Waterworks Family aquatic water park_ where they spent the whole day with the kids they figured tomorrow they would start the journey across Ohio

**Friday** they started on their Journey again they drove from 6 am that morning for 4 hours and stopped for brunch around 11 am to South Bend Indiana then another 6 hours so by about 6 pm they were in Des Moines Iowa. Lisa knew it was only another 9 or 10 hours to Cheyenne WY and there was a big rodeo taking place this weekend and although they wouldn't be participating in this one, it was fun and exciting to watch plus she could get a good look at some live stock in case she wanted to add to her herd, not to mention that Matt had never been to a rodeo. She wanted them to eat quickly so they went to a Wendy's and then loaded the explorer with supplies from a convenient store and started back on the road. They drove another 4 hours to Kearney Nebraska and stopped for the night at the Holiday inn.

Tthey headed out after having Breakfast on **Saturday** at 7 am Lisa wanted to make it to Cheyenne by 11 am and to_ Cheyenne Frontier days_ by noon. They didn't hit traffic until they hit Cheyenne downtown area every one was headed to the Frontier days they stopped in an Econo lodge and they got the last room it was small but it would make due for them that night so they registered and unhitched the Cargo trailer and since there was a locked fence for such things they put Locked it up and were free to take the explorer with then to the show rodeo area By 1 pm they were headed to the event, Lisa made sure that Matt had the appropriate clothes, boots and all. She and the kids were already used to dressing like they worked on a ranch because Well they did. It had been a few years since Lisa and the kids were here When the got to the entrance They all grabbed a schedule

"Lets see what we can plan to do because there is so much here but at least we will be here today and tomorrow" Matt said

"Your daddy has never seen a real rodeo before I bet he would love that." Lisa said

They spent the next day and a half showing Matt around They took him to see the bull riding and the Team roping, steer roping Steer wrestling,Tie down roping and Lisa and the kids favorite aside from Bull riding was the barrel racing they at previous rodeos that is something they participated in Lisa was familiar with the circuit, even though she was an amateur she was friends with a lot of the women and men mostly women, they were watching round 2 of the WPR "When she heard her name called out from behind her

"Well if it isn't Lisa Forester as I live and Breath" Her old friend Ann Scott from Canyon County CA called out to her. She was with another friend of hers Shelly Anzick who was from Livingston, they saw Ethan and Emma,

"Hey kids how are you doing?" Shelly asked

Then they looked to Lisa, "We didn't see you entered in anything. Are you here as a spectator today wow that's not like you." Ann said

They went up to give her a hug. "Hi girls how you doing" Lisa replied "Well actually we are driving cross country from New York, Back home its a vacation/ honeymoon" she added as she pulled Matt over. "Ann, Shelly , I would like you to meet my husband Matt Camden"

then the kids chimed in together " He is our daddy"

They both were dumbfounded and it took them a minute to respond actually

Matt responded first "Nice to meet the two of you" he said

"Same here they both replied"

"We are up pretty soon. So you want to watch me out ride Shelly here" Ann said

"You wish" replied Shelly

The headed over to the entrance area while Lisa, Matt and the kids went back into the stands to watch the barrel racing After they event which Shelly came in 2nd and Ann 3rd They went to the concession stand and got something to eat After they ate Lisa sat with her friends while Emma and Ethan talked their daddy into taking them to the midway Lisa and Matt made sure they had their cell phones on so she could meet up with them once she was done with Ann and Shelly. Lisa Filled them in on how she ended up with Matt and and after an hour or so she said she would see them soon they they headed their separate ways Lisa Headed to find Matt, she tried his Cell # and he didn't answer, She figured he must have been on a ride or something so she headed to the midway to look for them After a little while she spotted them coming off a thrill ride She got knot in her stomach. They didn't see her as they got off

She snuck up behind them and asked "having fun with out me huh?"

" Hi Mama Emma said "We sure are, Daddy takes us on the stuff that makes you nervous"

Then Ethan added "and we meet the height requirements this year for all the good rides."

" Oh swell" Lisa said less than enthusiastically

Matt looked at her kind of funny "Wait, you mean you have issues with them going on the good rides but yet you let them use rifles, He shook his head and laughed

"When you put it that way I see what you mean" She laughed too.

They stayed in Cheyenne through early **Monday** Morning. Then by 6 am they were ready for breakfast and then to head out Lisa was Googling on her smart phone while they were eating. "I know we were just going to drive straight to Glen Oak from here but I was wondering..." She let the rest of the sentence hang

"Why do you have another stop for us to make?" Matt asked

"Well Yes. It will add a couple days to our trip But it is something I have always wanted to see and all we have to do is take I -70 instead of I 80 and it takes us through Arizona" she told them.

"What's in Arizona Ethan asked,

"The Grand Canyon" Lisa replied Its 10 hours drive time to Kanab UT then we can stop there for the night and drive another 4 hours to Valle Az which is just south of the Southern Rim of the canyon "

" Wow that sounds like a fantastic Idea I have never seen it either I have only flown over it" Matt said

So they headed out making a stop, here and there to use the bathroom or for food, 11 hours later they got to Kanab and went to the comfort Inn off the highway they ate and put some stuff in for overnight in the 2 adjoining rooms they got. The motel had a pool and it was still extremely hot and dry so they put on their swim suits and went to the pool area, it was only 6 pm Matt got in the water with the kids

"Are you coming in. The water is beautiful" He said as he splashed the kids

"Yeah I will be in shortly, She had to call the ranch, she had not checked in with them in a couple of days, not that she thought that there was anything wrong they would have called her if there was, She dialed Crane's cell. He must have seen the caller ID

"Hey Mrs Camden How's the vacation" he asked

'Its wonderful" Lisa replied "We are in Kanab Utah Matt and the kids are in the pool at the moment "

"**Kanab UT** what's there anything special or is that just a stop along the way?"

"Well we took a detour and headed south .This place is on the Arizona border We are going to the **Grand Canyon** tomorrow." Lisa replied

"So when are you coming home, and no nothing is wrong we just miss you that's all" Crane said

"Well maybe in a week or a little less it depends on how long Matt wants to stay in Glen Oak once we get there,I think we may stay there at least until Sunday then drive back up north Sunday night into Monday morning. We have to go to the registrar office when we get back I need to get a new Drivers license and Matt need to renew his California license too and put the Truckee address on it as well as getting him his gun permit and fishing and hunting license and my name has to be changed on mine. Well I will talk to you soon give everyone a hug for me" and they hung up

Lisa lay back in the lounge chair and closed her eyes for what she thought was a minute she didn't know how tired she really was until Matt came over dripping water all over her which startled her,

"I thought you were coming in the water" as he shook his wet head and made sure to get it on her

"Oh I was.. I am, I must have dozed off for a minute,

"Try a half hour" he said "If you are that tired honey you can sleep."

"No that's ok I really do need to cool off I think I will wade in the pool"

"No way you don't get to just wade in the pool" he said as he picked her up

"Oh Mattie you wouldn't"

"Sure I would" he said as he edged over to the pool "Ok kids out of the way mama is going for a swim"

Emma and Ethan laughed at their mama then he tossed her in the pool, as she surfaced he jumped in next to her

"The water is nice isn't it" he said

"its cold but it did wake me up, You know you are in trouble later." she winked at him "I am glad we have adjoining rooms with the kids because you are going to pay for throwing me in the pool" she said

"Oh I can't wait" he replied

It was almost 8:30 when they got out of the pool and headed for their rooms they got the kids settled for bed and they were asleep by 9:15. Matt lingered in their room for a little bit and then he actually showered in their room after the kids finished, and they fell asleep, which gave Lisa a chance to shower and wash the chlorine out of her hair. She dried off and pulled her hair into a braid and put on some lingerie . Then she went into her bag and pulled out some old nylon stockings and went out into the room and took each stocking and secured them to the head of the bed one on each side, making a slip knot at the end of each of them, then hid them under the pillows She sat on the bed pretending to read a brochure on the Grand Canyon when Matt walked through the adjoining door all freshly showered wearing nothing but his briefs and a towel around his neck. as he crawled in bed beside her and took the brochure out of her hands and began to ravish her. She stopped him and then moved and pushed him on his back and pinned his hands above his head

"oh no you don't" she said "I told you that you are going to pay for throwing me in the pool"

He liked her taking control he hadn't realized what she was doing until it was too late she had his hand secured with the nylons and he couldn't move his hands/ arms from above his head He went to move his arms to hold her and realized he was tied down.

" Hey what the Hell" he said not so sure he like this. She moved off him and made sure the adjoining door was locked on their side she let her negligée drop to the floor and it left her with just her lace panties on, She went into his bag and grabbed a bandana then she went into the drawer and pulled out something her couldn't quite see, she climbed on the bed again

"This isn't funny" he said nervously and he tried to pull free "Please, come on untie me I don't like it "

"Oh but you will" she said

She tied the bandana over his eyes so he couldn't see what she was doing, His breath hitched he started to panic

"I am going to have my way with you" she said

He knew in his head that he trusted her she wouldn't hurt him but some how that knowledge wasn't letting him relax He continued to protest as she did what she wanted.

" Its ok just relax Mattie I wont hurt you Well unless you want me to" she giggled

He still had his eyes covered and he was pulling again against the restraints on his wrists,

"If you don't quit that I am going to hog tie you Mattie "

"What does that mean" he asked in a shaky voice

"it means I will restrain your ankles too" he went completely still

She went up to his face and kissed him "I won't hurt you I love you trust me

she took control again he let out a moan "OOOOhhhhhh"

"Are you ok do you want me to stop?"

" No,...don't...stop... he moaned

When she was done he though to himself "_that was better than anything I have ever felt in my life_." He was spent he lay there like limp rag doll. She undid his wrists and took the bandana off him he was unable to move He mouthed I Love you and then passed out from exhaustion, She watched her sleeping husband breathe for a while then she too snuggled against him and fell asleep

**Tuesday** morning came early. Ethan knocked on the door it was 5:30 am

Lisa went to the door but didn't open it "Daddy is still asleep" she said through the closed door.

"We are hungry mama" she heard Emma say

"Well, I will get dressed and we can go to the coffee shop for 6 that's when it opens"

She got dressed undid her hair brushed it and rebraided it Matt was still in the same position he was in last night he hadn't moved at all she didn't want to wake him but she wanted to put at least his briefs on before she opened the adjoining door. She moved him slightly to get his briefs on him and then spotted a pair of shorts she put those on him to he only groaned slightly in his sleep but was still completely out She left him a note in case he woke up She opened the adjoining door grabbed her the room keys her purse and headed down to the coffee shop When they were done she got an extra large coffee and breakfast for Matt and headed back to the rooms,

"Its almost 7 am, I want you guys to pack I want to leave in less than an hour"

She went into their room and through to hers and Matt was still asleep, she put the food and coffee down, and went to wake him she kissed him time to wake up sleepy head, He didn't budge she had to shake him very hard to illicit a response which was simply an annoyed groan,

"You better get up or we will leave with out you" He slowly opened his eyes but it was hard it felt as if they had weights on them, He smelled the coffee.

"Coffee" he groaned

She helped him sit up and put the pillows behind him and handed him the coffee,

"Careful its still hot" she warned him

He sipped it "Maybe this will wake me up" he said groggily he took another big gulp he saw the plate of food on the table he put the coffee down and went to get up and noticed he wasn't naked, "OK I don't remember getting these on" he said tugging at his shorts,

"You were totally passed out when I put them on you this morning I figured I needed to since I was opening the adjoining door" Lisa replied

He pulled her close and kissed her. "Thank you for last night. It was beyond incredible, If that's the payback I get for throwing you in the pool I may have to do something like that more often."

Matt got up on his shaky legs and went to grab the plate of food, He scoffed it down in a couple of bites and finished his coffee, "Let me hop in the shower and then we can pack up and head out." They left a little before 8am, stopped at the convenient store for supplies and drinks and headed out.

They were at the **Grand Canyon** Visitors center in just over 4 hours and they got out,

"Wow this is amazing" Lisa said.

They unpacked food and ate lunch got information from the visitors center and did some exploring and took a ton of pictures. The kids loved it they took the Family Adventure hike, which was about 3 hours long and got back around 4pm They went to grand Canyon Village and got a place to stay overnight at The Bright Angel Lodge parked the explorer and put some stuff in the room and went to eat at the facilities restaurant. At about 7:30 they headed to the McKee Amphitheater to enjoy a presentation about the park's fascinating natural that was about an hour long then they headed back to their lodging It was 9:30 before they were able to get the twins quieted Lisa had already gotten ready for bed and Matt was finishing up She lay back on the bed and found herself drifting off to sleep

She awoke to the feeling of pleasure, Matt was on top of her he had her panties off and was already taking what he wanted, She moaned in response

"You are not sleeping yet my love" He told her, He continued until they both come to their release and fell asleep

**Wednesday **came and they stayed for a little bit longer

"Its so beautiful here I don't want to leave" she said as she sat on the Balcony facing the canyon

She googled driving directions to Glen Oak If they didn't stop and drove straight through they could be there in a little over 7 hours But she knew her kids wouldn't sit in a car that long so it would probably be like 8 or 9 hours

Matt came around to see what she was doing "I didn't realize we were so close." he said "If we leave now we could be there by Late afternoon."

"Well lets see what the kids want to do" She said then she asked them

"Can we take the Rim view walk it starts at 8:30 and it is only 2 hours its only 7 am we have time to eat and pack everything mama" Ethan asked

"Ok as long as we have everything packed and ready to go and we are checked out by 8:15 we can" Matt Said

"Oh thanks daddy" Emma said as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek

They had everything taken care of and were checked out and headed over to go on the south rim view walk. They were back by 10:30 and were on the road as soon as they filled the gas tank they headed for Glen Oak. they drove for 2 1/2 hours to Kingman AZ then stopped for lunch then were back on the road by 1:30 another 3 hours and a pit stop in Barstow to grab burgers at McDonald's and use the bathroom By 5 they were ready to be back on the road again to Glen Oak. Since Lisa had driven from Kingman to Barstow Matt decided to give her a rest and drive the next couple of hours it would take to get to his parents house

" Let me call my parents to give them a heads up that we will be there soon. Matt dialed his parents

Ruthie answered " Hello Camden residence"

"Hey Ruthie it's Matt"

"Hey how's the vacation where are you" She asked

"It has been fantastic and actually we are in Barstow and leaving now heading to Glen Oak" He told her,

"Wow you are that close already,"Ruthie replied

Annie entered the kitchen and Ruthie said to "Hey mom Matt's on the phone he said they are leaving Barstow and heading here now."

"Oh that's wonderful, Give me the phone let me talk to him" Ruthie said bye to Matt and handed the phone to her mother "Hi honey so you are on your way here I can't wait to see all of you and hear about the trip I hope you took pictures,"

"Oh we sure did, If you could make sure there is a room set up for the kids I know they are tired even though they have been in the explorer quite a bit we have had a busy week

"Well we can put them in what was Mary and Lucy's old room before they went to the attic you know the one you Martin had slept in and you and Lisa can have the room that Lucy and Kevin had used what was your old room or you can have the attic if you prefer, since Ruthie has taken over the garage apartment."

"Wherever you think will work best is fine. See you in a few hours Love you mom" he hung up.

They drove for a couple more hours Lisa dozed off in the passenger seat, They were about 5 minutes from home and he had to stop for a traffic light, He looked at the car beside him on the passenger side. It was Rosina, Sarah's mother and Sarah was with her He prayed for a the light to change and it did he At the next street Rosina turned right to Matt's relief but seeing them shook Matt up pretty good. A few minutes later her pulled in front of his parents house.

" Is this it daddy?" Emma asked

"Are we here?" A sleepy Ethan asked

"Yes we are here" He nudged Lisa awake, "We are here sweetie wake up"

Annie and Eric were waiting for them and saw them pull up they went out to meet them, "There you are, you made good time its only after 7pm so lets bring your suitcase in and get you guys "Eric said

They went into the house "Wow is the where you grew up here daddy?" Emma asked

"Yup it is" he replied

They brought their things upstairs the kids things were put in Mary and Lucy's old room at the end of the hall and Lisa and Matt took their things to the 3rd floor attic bedroom and then they all went back into the kitchen Eric had earlier run to the Dairy shack for ice cream so Annie was busy putting it into some bowls for everyone.

Ruthie came in from the garage apartment to say hi to everyone and let them know she was heading out with Martin for a date " I will be back around 10 see you later"

Then the rest of them started to chat about the move to Truckee

"So mom I haven't talked to Lucy since our wedding day What's going on with her and Kevin and the move?" Matt asked

"Well they put their house in Glen Oak on the Market and then they went through the process and already finalized the purchase of Dr. Hansen's Place in Truckee, so that place it already theirs, They have been packing all week Lucy's final sermon in Glen Oak is this Sunday then we as a caravan are driving to Truckee to get them moved in We figured that they will need someone to drive the u haul truck and the 2 cars and they will need help loading and unloading the truck."

"Well I guess when you all head up there so will we and we can drive together" Matt said

They went into the living room for a bit and Lisa noticed that on the mantle was a picture of Matt at his first wedding with Sarah "_Oh God That was the women in the lounge at the hospital_" she thought to herself, Annie saw that Lisa saw the picture and felt bad that she had forgotten to put that away Annie made a mental note to replace it with a picture of Lisa Matt and the kids. By about 8:30 he asked his mom for some towels for the kids and they headed upstairs to get ready for bed and Sam and David did the same thing Emma and Ethan thought it was really strange that their Uncles Sam and David were actually a year and 2 months younger than them

Ethan said to Emma out of earshot of everyone, "Grandma and Grandpa must have been really old when they had Sam and David huh?"

"Well they were older but remember Mama and Daddy were pretty young when they had us. Daddy was still in high school." Emma told him

"Oh yeah I remember" Ethan said They all went to bed and up early the next morning

**Thursday **they woke early. They hadn't made love the night before partly because it felt weird being in Matt's parents house and partly they were too exhausted from the trip she lay with her head on his chest there was a light on in the bathroom, She wasn't sure of the time her internal clock was all messed up because of all the time zones she crossed in the past week and a half. She toyed with Matt's hairy chest and snuggled her nose into it and breathed in his musky scent she didn't realize he was awake until he moved and wrapped his arms around her pushing his hands under her shirt and rubbing the small of her back

"MMMM that feels so good" Lisa said,

He kissed her and made love to her and then they took a shower in the 3rd floor bathroom got dressed and headed downstairs, it was really early and everyone else was asleep they realized when they got to the 2nd floor. They decided to let everyone sleep and go downstairs and make coffee.

Lisa looked at the clock, "Wow only 5:30 in the morning I thought it was later she said "Mattie what time does everyone get up around here"

"Well mom will be up soon she doesn't sleep past 6:15 and if she smells the coffee it will be much sooner,"

"Do you think she will mind if we start breakfast." Lisa asked

"No not at all" he replied

"Why don't we get stuff out to make pancakes"

Matt got out all the ingredients Lisa made the batter and put it aside Matt also got out bacon and Lisa cut up fruit. By the time Annie and Eric came downstairs a little after 6:20 Lisa and Matt were all set and just waiting on everyone to start to get up so they could make the pancakes The bacon was already cooking A short time later all the kids were up and eating breakfast

"Maybe we should see if Lucy and Kevin need help with packing" Lisa said as they were finishing eating

"They probably wont need to much most of it was done when we were over there yesterday" Annie replied, "She only has out the basics that they would need until they leave, you guys should relax while you are here."

" From what we heard from your cousins when we were at the wedding you don't do that enough with the ranch to run and all" Eric said

" Oh boy do I even want to know what the blabber mouths told you" said Lisa,

"Hey Sam, David, Why don't you take Emma and Ethan outside and play basketball and take Happy out with you" Annie asked them.

Once the kids were out of earshot, Annie got up and moved to sit beside Lisa, "It was all good honey You have worked very hard at running the ranch and raising the kids, From what we hear you are a Pillar in the community, the whole county as a matter of fact , However..." Annie let the words hang.

"Oh boy here it comes" Lisa said

"As I was saying" Annie continued "All of your cousins and their wives are in agreement You push you self too hard and you that you never want to ask for help, or inconvenience anyone even family, Crane and Becky told us everything about what happened with your parents not just the last fight you had the last time you saw them but how it was for you your whole life with them and why you went to live with your grandparents. Lisa we never knew and then for us to shut you out as well, Eric and I are so sorry. Please for give us honey"

Lisa was tearing up, "Its ok its water under the bridge besides I was the one who initially left remember" Lisa said "All we can do is move on, as far as me pushing myself too hard I have always had too I never had any choice I know I have had my cousins, but they also had their own ranch to run.

"We don't have to worry about her pushing herself too hard now, she has me to watch over her" Matt said

"Well while you are here You are to relax and act as if you didn't have a care in the world Ok" Eric told her

They hung around the next couple of days By **Saturday** the kids were getting restless it was lunchtime.

"Hey how about we go to the Promenade for Pizza and a movie?" Matt asked them

They went to the Movies first and saw Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer it was almost 2 when they got out of the movie and even though they filled up on junk food they still wanted pizza, so they headed over to Pete's Pizza and ordered 2 pizzas one Sausage and Mushroom and the other meat lovers They sat down with Drinks and Pizza, Matt had his back to the entrance so he didn't see who walked in. It was Sarah and her parents and a new colleague of hers She didn't see Matt either. Matt was eating and needed to use the rest room so he walked over to the left where it was after he had gotten up

Ethan noticed her, "Hey mom isn't that the lady doctor that was in the doctor's lounge from Daddy's other work in New York"

Lisa looked at her "Oh yeah I think it is," Lisa knew it was and she knew it was Sarah from the picture at Matt's parents " Don't mention her to daddy, when he gets out"

Sarah and her group moved to a booth which wasn't clearly visible from where Lisa and the kids sat. Lisa hoped Matt didn't see her when he came out if in fact that was Sarah, Lisa told the kids

"Why don't you quickly eat so we can get out if here and"...she thought quickly "go find something fun to do."

They were almost done eating when Matt came back " Geez you guys scoffed that down quick huh"

"Yeah Lisa said we are ready to go, You can take your with you huh" Lisa kept looking at the booth to make sure they weren't spotted and didn't come over her,

"Honey what's your hurry let me sit and eat" he said, Lisa grabbed his food and drink and quietly under her breath said "No I think we should go now"

She walked towards the door with the kids hoping they could get out of the restaurant before they were spotted and hoping Matt would follow her, she didn't want a scene especially in front of the kids when the got out side

Matt caught up with her took "Will you stop please" he said as he put her hand on her shoulder "What's going on?"

"Not here she whispered" they walked to the other end of the Promenade and sat on a bench in front of the pet store Lisa handed Matt his food and then the kids went over to the window to look at the puppy,

with them out of ear shot he finally asked "What the hell was that all about"

" Please watch your language you know I don't like it" she replied

He put his food down, he could see she was a bit shaken and hugged her, "I am sorry, Lisa, something has you shaken up"

"I had to get you out of there before we well you were spotted, Your Ex wife was in there" "Oh God" he said, "Wait how do you know what she looks like?"

Lisa explained the picture at his parents house and also that she had seen the woman in the Doctors Lounge back in New York but didn't know who she was at the time. "I didn't want there to be a confrontation or anything in front of the kids" she told him " You were right in getting us out of there" he kissed her and said "Thank You"

They headed out, stopped at a park for the kids to play then back to the Matt's Parent's house around dinner After the kids went to bed Lisa Matt Annie and Eric were in the living room with a movie on Lisa noticed the picture she had seen of Matt and Sarah were gone and in its place were a few pictures that had been taken from their wedding,

"We almost had a close call today at Pete's Pizza, Sarah was there" Matt said, "thankfully she didn't see me, Lisa saw her and hurried us out of there." Matt

"That most definitely wouldn't have been good. There would have been a scene in front of the twins." Annie said

"Yeah tell me about it" They stayed up for a bit then headed off to bed.

**Sunday **morning they awoke and packed there stuff she hopped in the shower with him "Happy 2 week anniversary" he said and kissed her

They finished got dressed and went to wake the twins who were already up dressed and in Sam and David room playing quietly with Legos. They had them go down for breakfast and then loaded the car with their stuff and a few bags for his parents and Sam and David and Ruthie. Simon and Cecelia joined them and they all headed for church. Lucy, Kevin and the kids were already there Lucy gave her farewell sermon and after church there was a farewell pot luck in the churches basement/ function room by about 1 they knew they needed to be on the road. So the caravan of vehicles headed out on the I-5 for the long ride to Truckee the made one stop at McDonalds and then continued on the I-80. They were in Truckee by 8:30 The stopped at the small parsonage to let His parents in they and Sam and David would spend the night there Matt got out of the Explorer to give them their suitcases and then to give Ruthie hers to take to Kevin and Lucy's. Simon, Cecelia and Ruthie went with Kevin, Lucy and the kids to their new house and Lisa, Matt and the twins headed home, Lisa had called Crane earlier in the day to let him know they would be home tonight. "I hope they are not making a big fuss about us coming home I am kind of tired I want the kids to go to bed we have to get up early in the morning.

By 9pm they were pulling up to the ranch there were Only Crane and Becky were there waiting for them.

"Welcome back Crane and Becky said as they all got out of the explorer, "We won't stay we know you are probably tired We just wanted to see that you got in ok, and to let you know about what has been going on in the area, There have been a lot more poaching and there is another injured bear spotted by potters pass near the river so be careful if you are out tomorrow also we all made sure that the house was stocked with food, as well as the parsonage and Old Doc Hanson's old place."

Crane Matt and Ethan brought the suitcases in the house but then locked the Explorer and figured the rest could wait until the morning. Crane and Becky said goodnight and Emma and Ethan were asleep by 9:30 Matt locked the house up and headed to bed with his wife in their bed Lisa was already in bed wearing one of Matt's t-shirts when he came in the room. He sat on the bed and took off his shirt.

She sat up and kissed his neck and said " Its good to be home"

"It sure is" he replied He finished undressing and climbed into bed. They were tired but not too tired to make love, he slowly claimed her body again filling her completely they both climaxed and rolled on to his back and she snuggled against him and they blissfully fell asleep.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

**Back in Truckee **

It was back to the same routine when the awoke Monday, But Lisa and the kids had missed the ranch and the animals, Matt was up early to determined to do his share of the chores before he headed into town to meet with Dr. Hansen, The Old Doc and his wife were staying the next week or so in the little apartment attached to the clinic just so he could get Matt used to "small town doctoring" as He put it Matt would officially start Tuesday Lisa made breakfast but didn't really eat she didn't have much of an appetite which was unusual for her.

After breakfast They unloaded the explorer then Emma and Ethan stayed on the ranch with Brian and Crane. Lisa and Matt went into town to change all their paperwork She officially changed her name to Camden on her Drivers License and Matt updated his California Drivers License to his new address and to register the Explorer in California and obtained his gun permit as well as hunting and fishing license and Lisa updated hers to reflect her new name There were a few more items to attend to like go to the town hall to add Matt's name to the deed on her land go to the bank to Matt him to all her accounts and changed her name, as well as a few more things but it was something Lisa could do with out Matt so she stayed in town

She first headed over to the Agway they made signs there and Lisa had an idea about changing the name for the ranch so she ordered new signs and also decided that the name had to be changed on the company accounts to as well as adding Matt to the deed and accounts. Matt was headed over to and Lucy and Kevin's while she did what she needed to do in town. His parents were already there. Matt helped unload the moving van and the cars they were done by noon they were done the u haul truck from Kevin and his cargo trailer had to be returned to the closest U Haul place. Matt called Lisa to see what she was up to, he dialed her cell. Lisa was just finishing up at the bank but needed Matt signature, when he called,

"Hey honey perfect timing"

"Oh why is that," he asked

"Uhm, is there anyway you can meet me at the Bank of America on Donner Pass road I need you to sign some things"

"Ok Sure me and Kevin have to head that way anyway to drop of the U-Haul truck and Cargo trailer at someplace named Incline Village anyway, give us 5 minutes"

Matt arrived shortly after hanging up with Lisa he went in to the bank manager's office where Lisa was and signed all the paperwork for all the personal accounts and when they got the ranch accounts

Lisa said "I think we need to change the name on the Ranch accounts I actually ordered gate and Barn signs this morning at the Agway We just have to change the official name on the Banking accounts,"

"Change it to what?" Matt asked

"Well I am officially a Camden now so we need to take the Forester off, I thought We should change it to CAMDEN"S CROSSING What do you think?" She asked

"Oh wow really...I...I Love it" he replied.

So they filled out the paperwork for that and ordered new checks to reflect the change. Then they gave Matt his own ATM Visa. He also had his own bank accounts at the same bank because it was a national bank he her added to all of his accounts as well with in 20 minutes they were done and the went to out to see meet Kevin and then they headed to Incline Village 30 minutes south to drop the stuff off. Then the 3 of them headed back in Matt's explorer they were back in Truckee about and hour and half later.

"Matt I really need to get back to the ranch for the kids plus there is a lot of work that needs to be done I also know you have to talk to the Doc today" "Yeah I do" he replied so she went into town Matt checked in with the Doc and since the Doc had house calls to make later, he told Matt he would drop him home after rounds, So Lisa left Matt and then on her way home dropped Kevin off. She told them all to come by later for dinner and headed back to the ranch

On her way back her cell phone rang it was Ridge, "Hey Sissy I called the ranch they said you got in late last night and you were out today."

"I was going to call you when I got home" she told him "We had a lot of running around to do" Lisa explained the paper work and also helping Lucy and Kevin "I am headed home now,"

"Would you be mad if we postponed our visit for a few weeks Some things came up and Mum, Dad and Kristen are stuck in Milan for at least a month. We were hoping they would be back by now so Thorne and I could take off and actually have some quality time with you We wanted as few weeks there"

"Well I am a bit disappointed but could you come for a few days for now and then come back for an extended period later. 4th of July is Wednesday"

"You know what I think we will. Let me arrange it with Thorne and we will be there tomorrow I have to tell you Mum and Dad don't know about us seeing you yet When I confront them with everything I want to do I in person So we wont tell them about our little trip, I will call you tonight bye Sissy"

Lisa got back to the ranch and did some chores and started to make dinner at 4 pm as she was in the kitchen she looked at the calendar on the wall to check for the info on when Dwight McAllister was going to be there with Brutus for the studding. He would be there on Monday July 9th to stud Bright Eyes. Then she saw that something was missing on the top of the calendar. For as long as she remembered she had put her LMP ( last menstrual period) on the top of each month on the calendar And July didn't have a date _Well its only the beginning of the month and I must have forgotten to do it with us just getting back from the vacation." _Lisa thought to herself

Lisa flipped the calendar back to June" _I am always like clock work every 27-28 days_" she thought to her self and then read the calendar LMP was 05/30/2007 "Oh my" she thought to herself she counted the days " I am 5-6 days late, Well it could be nothing," She said out loud, Lisa busied herself with making dinner and got out her enormous crock pit and made chili cooked her corn bread and got out some more hamburger meat, She also called Becky and told them she was having Matt's family over if they wanted to come.

"OK great, I have a ton of Macaroni and Potato salad I will bring"

"Hey Becky I have to tell you something I just realized..."

"Oh yeah what's that" she asked" "Well my period is 5 days late and I am NEVER LATE"

"Oh My GOD" Becky said "do you think...?"

" I don't know, its very possible with all the unprotected sex Matt and I have had"

"Hold on a second" Becky said she came back a minute later "I have a couple unused pregnancy tests I bought when Crane and I were trying to get pregnant I will be right over" " Ok see you in a few"

Becky was over in 5 minutes Lisa was pacing when she came in

"Here" Becky said as she handed her the package

Lisa went into the bathroom off the Kitchen and did the urine test came back in the kitchen and set the timer The kids came in with Crane

" Brian went home for Dinner and to check on Dylan, Kelley needed a break Dylan has been very fussy cutting his first tooth I think" Crane said,

"Are we eating here?"

"Uhm yeah" Becky said,

Crane could tell there was something going on and whispered in his wife's ear, "Ok is there something you need to tell me what's going on with you two." he asked

She whispered back "If there is something to tell I will tell you later, go take the kids out back and hose off and get ready for dinner"

Matt came in as Crane went called out to Lisa "Hey Lisa, I talked to Dad they will be here around 5 ish"

With him saying that Lisa nearly jumped out of her skin he startled her

"Ok what's going on?"

Just then the timer went off Lisa and Becky looked at one another and then the two of them went into the bathroom to look at the test Lisa picked up the test 2 lines it was positive.

"Oh My god" Lisa said in astonishment as she started to well up with tears.

Becky hugged her and whispered "Congratulations," Becky said

Matt walked over to the door of the bathroom "What's going on in there" he asked

"Ask her" Becky said as she exited the bathroom to let Matt in.

He looked at his teary eyed wife. "I told Becky I was 6 days late and she brought an unused test over to the house"

She handed him the Pregnancy test and him being an OB/GYN her immediately knew what it was,

"Oh my God" he said as he hugged her "a baby, Oh Lisa I am sooo happy." Then he kissed her "So when did you realize you were late?" he asked

"Only a little while ago" She replied "While I was making dinner I was looking at the calendar to see what date we were having Brutus stud bright eyes and I noticed I hadn't put My LMP on the July calendar and when I turned the page back to for June,"

She showed him the calendar, "when I saw this LMP 05/30/2007 so I knew I was late I counted and I should have gotten it Last week on the 26th I am like clock work When I called Becky to invite her and Crane over I ran it by her and she had some pregnancy tests left over from when she and Crane were trying to get pregnant and she brought them over." Lisa said

"I guess I am going to really learn how to be a rancher as well as being a rural doctor pretty quick." He said

"What do you mean" Lisa asked "Well you may not like what I have to say next but you do not have a choice in this so now you are now most definitely going to have to take it easy, and no more horse riding, We will have to let everyone know about the pregnancy so they will pick up the slack on what you can not do, no heavy lifting either and no Mucking the stalls or being near animal feces too dangerous."

"Oh Ok" she let out an exasperated breath "I guess I have to listen to you Dr. Camden I will be careful" and he kissed her

They exited the bathroom to find Crane and the kids in the kitchen with Becky. Crane was about to ask what was going on when there was a knock at the door it was Matt's family Ethan let them in.

Lisa whispered to Matt "why don't we tell them when everyone is seated at dinner."

Dinner was ready within a half hour with Matt and Crane cooking on the Grill After they were all seated and Eric, Matt's Dad said Grace Matt got up and stood behind Lisa.

Matt cleared his throat to get everyone's attention "Lisa and I have a little announcement, Normally we would wait to say anything but given the lifestyle we live I want to make sure she takes it easy,"

"I was looking at the calendar an realized I was uhm ..." Lisa hesitated "Late, 6 days late and while I was talking to Becky I told her and she brought over a home test and I just took it and it was positive" Lisa said

Matt had a big smile, For those of you not following us it means she is pregnant" Matt said,

Everyone congratulated them. "Mama is really going to have a baby?" Emma said

"Yes I am" Lisa told them

"are you ok with that?" "We sure are" Ethan told her

and they both got up and hugged their mother. Then they sat down to eat,

Matt took his seat "I told Lisa that she can not ride horses while she is pregnant and no heavy lifting and to stay away from the stables as much as possible, not to be gross during dinner she is not to go near animal feces or other livestock body fluids"

Lisa went to protest, "But Bright eyes..." "And don't worry we will make sure that everything goes well with Bright eyes next week Matt told her. The kids understood they would need to really help out even more.

"I will make sure tomorrow that my brother's know about the pregnancy restriction , Well it will be common sense for Adam and Brian But the younger ones will need to be made aware again and what it means and that they need to help out more over here too" Crane said

"Oh By the way" Lisa said "I talked to Ridge on the way home,"

"Oh yeah I forgot to tell you he called" Crane said "I am glad he got a hold of you I heard how your brother Thorne found you in New York. I am glad you got to see them"

"Anyway they were going to wait a few weeks to come out because they wanted to have an extended visit but I convinced them to have a short visit because Wednesday is the 4th of July and then they could come back sometime in August so they will be here tomorrow. He will call me when everything is finalized and they know when their flight will be in and which airport Then she said to Matt's Family I hope you all will stay in Truckee for a while at least through the 4th The whole town and half the county goes to the 4 h fairgrounds for the 4th of July festival and Fireworks,"

" Oh we wouldn't miss it" Annie said

They phone rang Matt answered "Hey Matt its Ridge"

"Hey Lisa told me your coming for a few days,"

"Yup just calling to confirm we will be arriving in Truckee/Tahoe airport around 11:00 am all 6 of us Are we staying with you?"

"Of course you are the ranch is huge" I will let Lisa know. Do you know how to get to the ranch or will you need help to find it once you get to town,?"

"I am not sure, I haven't been there since I was a kid I will call you once I get in town,"

"Actually let me give you my cell # because I will be in town in the clinic with Old Doc Hansen So I can go home for lunch and you can follow me."

"Ok Great I will call you tomorrow" He took Matt's cell # Matt told Lisa about the phone call.

"Oh that's terrific Lisa said

and then Crane added "I can't wait to see them I haven't seen them since we were kids probably since before Guthrie." Everyone had there fill of food hung around until 8 or so then it was time to close the ranch down for the night Matts family head back to town and the parsonage Crane Matt and the kids took their rifles and headed to the barn and stables to check on the animals and close things down for the night, while Becky and Lisa finished in the kitchen, Crane came back to get Becky and they went home and the kids went upstairs to take their showers and get ready for bed Matt and Lisa sat on the couch the lights dimmed,

"I really should take care of some paperwork" she said as she went to get up

"Nope not tonight" he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her back to the couch, "Remember no pushing yourself. You will have plenty of time for paperwork in the morning since you can't do any heavy chores"

"OK Doctor Camden" she said before she kissed him "Does that leave all strenuous activity out, because I hope not" she said as she massaged his groin.

" No somethings are allowable I am a doctor I will make sure you won't over do it, I guess you will have to let me do all the work"

The kids yelled down that they were done Matt locked up and then Lisa and Matt headed upstairs, they spent a little more time with the kids and then they all went to bed. They undressed he looked at his half naked wife and touched her tummy.

"Its so unreal to think there is a baby growing in there, I mean I see it all the time and have delivered a lot of babies but to know that I put a baby in you with in the last 2 weeks it seems so unreal"

he kissed just below her belly button, He finished taking his clothes of climbed on top of her and slid inside of her, " You feel so damn good baby I love you so much" they both climaxed and fell asleep.

**Tuesday** Lisa woke up sick to her stomach Matt was on top of her,

She nudged him "Mattie God get up quick,

He didn't move to much she tried to push him off her he groggily moved off her and she bolted up into the master bathroom and got sick, Upon hearing her he jumped out of bed and went into the bathroom with her. She sat next to the toilet resting her head against it then another wave a nausea over took her and it started again. Matt grabbed a bucket and put it next to the bed then he grabbed two face cloths and rinsed them in cold water and put one on the back of her neck and when she was finished vomiting this time he washed her face off he grabbed mouth wash had her rinse and spit in the toilet and then he picked her up and put her to bed,

"Let me get you something to settle you stomach Lisa You should probably try to keep a little something in your stomach at all times"

He made sure she could reach the bucket and went down to get her something to eat, He brought up ginger ale soup and crackers.

He helped her sit up "Here try a little of this" she ate a little and then lay back down, "I want you in bed for a while I will make breakfast for the kids and do early morning chores,"

It was already 5:30 he had just put the coffee on. The twins were awake and came into the kitchen,

"Where's mama" Emma asked,

"She isn't feeling well right now So I need your help this morning I guess I am taking over what she does"

he handed them a pen and paper "make a list of what is need to be done, before breakfast at least,

"Well we don't need to write that part down Ethan said, "Emma and I will get the milk, and you as he handed him the big basket go get the eggs," Matt went out into the coop and got the eggs as the kids went to milk the cows, Then before the kids came back, Matt was in the kitchen making scrambled eggs and bacon and drinking coffee. Then the kids came in with 2 pails and showed their daddy how to strain it and pour it in the jugs He served them breakfast.

"Isn't mama going to come and eat?" Ethan asked,

"No remember I told you before you went to milk the cows she wasn't feeling well, I did however give her soup crackers and ginger ale earlier for her upset stomach. You guys eat and I am going to go and check on her."

He went upstairs, with more ginger ale He got to the bed room and saw she was asleep he took the bucket and cleaned it out she had vomited again but at least she was asleep, He put the bucket next to the bed again covered her and kissed her head and went back downstairs,

"So how about that list of stuff to do around here"

" Well Daddy" Ethan said "Mama can still do the paper work right? "

"Yes she can do that" Matt replied

"Ok well there is always stuff to do around here, There's always fences to fix; weeds to spray; hay to cut, bale, stack and move; feed to grind Cows to milk Livestock to feed Chickens to feed and to clean the coop Gardening and weeding, manure to haul after mucking the stalls taking care of the horses you know grooming and stuff" Ethan wrote the list and then said "Mama has a book that lists chores for a ranch hand let me get it"

He read a few pages of the book:

**If you land a job as a ranch hand, what should you expect? Besides the daily jobs - caring for the horses and livestock as well as other tasks - a ranch also requires many seasonal chores. In spring and summer, your day usually begins at daybreak and ends around sundown. In fall and winter, the workdays become a little shorter.**

**Spring: A ranch hand is quite busy in the spring because spring is calving season. Ranch hands help with the daily feeding and caretaking. They feed and dry calves soon after birth, as well as tag and vaccinate them when it becomes appropriate. They wean calves from their mothers and move them from pasture to pasture. Cattle need feeding every day until the pasture grass is green enough for grazing. General farming chores start in the spring, too - leveling the ground and seeding. By late spring, ranch hands can brand new cattle as well. Once snow is no longer an issue, spring repairs and any new building begins. One never-ending duty of a ranch hand is to check the ranch fences to ensure there are no holes through which cattle could escape - or predators could : Irrigation chores begin in mid-spring through about August. Ranch hands perform maintenance on ditches and pipes, making any necessary repairs. The workday lengthens from dawn until dusk, seven days a week.**

** In the summer, ranch hands move cattle from pasture to pasture more often, as well, to prevent pastures from becoming overgrazed. The first cut of hay usually happens in June or July, and into August. The ranch hand preps, oils and checks that the haying equipment is in good working : Once haying ends, ranch hands clean and store the equipment. Repairs to farm equipment, buildings and fences are ongoing.**

** Fall is also a good time to begin new construction projects, as the season winds down. Calves should be weaned and eating from troughs by this time. The ranch hand also starts pregnancy testing female cows and administering appropriate vaccinations. Firewood collection and chopping begins around this time as :**

** Winter is mostly about maintenance. Ranch hands feed the cattle and livestock every day, since the pastures are usually frozen or blanketed with snow. Firewood collection continues. Maintenance and perimeter fence checks also continue through winter**

"Holy Crap" Matt thought "_This is definitely going to be a lot of work most of which I do not want Lisa to do while pregnant_. He shook his head " I definitely will be relying on Crane and the rest of the McFadden men for this stuff "he said out loud

He put the book down and said "well I am here for a while until 10 but then I have to go to the clinic," Matt told the kids

"Don't worry daddy by then at least Uncle Crane and Uncle Brian will be here" Ethan said "We are going to the stables now since mama isn't feeling well You better put the Walkie talkie by the bed in case she needs something,"

"Good idea Ethan I will do that and be back down to help you in the stalls Do you think we will need a rifle?"

"Yeah always better to have it just in case."

Matt brought the Walkie talkie upstairs then he took a rifle and the other Walkie talkie and he and the kids were taking care of the livestock and cleaning the stalls. Brian and Daniel came to the ranch and found them in the horse stable and helped them with the animals Ethan and Emma wen to the barn for the cows and fed them and cleaned that out.

"Crane should be here in a bit he is helping Becky with something " Daniel said

Lisa awoke and looked at the clock it was almost 8 am, The house was silent She still was sick to her stomach but she tried some crackers which helped. She wanted to take a shower but nearly fell over when she went to stand up the room was spinning.

She lay back on the bed she saw the Walkie talkie "_What's that doing in here?" _she thought she picked it up "Anyone around ...Over "

Matt heard Lisa "Oh Hi honey you are awake how are you feeling...Over"

"Horrible I practically fell over when I went to get up I need a shower so badly...Over"

" I will be back in about a half hour to take mine and you can take one with me I will make sure you don't fall on your face on those unsteady legs of yours... Over"

"OK I will just lay here until you get back to the bedroom...Over"

"Ok I will be there soon...over and out.

Brian was close enough to Matt to hear the whole conversation, and since only Crane and Becky had been at the house last night none of the other McFaddens knew of Lisa's pregnancy yet.

"Lisa's sick?" Brian said in a surprised voice, "she never gets sick is she ok?"

"She was sick to her stomach and vomiting all morning" Matt said

"Oh don't you think you should take her to the clinic to find out what is wrong with her" Daniel asked

"Oh I guess you too haven't talked to Crane yet" Matt said

"Well not really other than the fact he said he would be here to help us as soon as he finished with Becky" Daniel replied

As if on Cue "Did I her my name mentioned" Crane asked

"I guess you had not had a chance to tell these two about our little news" Matt said,

"Well I called Circle 7 and told everyone else, but Brian and Daniel had already come over here." Crane said,

"Did you know Lisa is pretty sick Matt has to take her to the clinic to find out what's wrong" Daniel said

"Crane patted Matt on the shoulder "So its started already huh sick to her stomach right. Becky Hannah and Kelley all were the same in the beginning and thinking back Lisa was the first time too"

It finally dawned on Brian what they were talking about, but Daniel still had no Idea " Well I'll be damned. Already huh you two didn't waste anytime did you Matt" Brian said

"Nope we sure didn't Matt replied

"I guess I am the only one who has no idea what you are talking about" Daniel said " Why is Lisa sick?

Then Emma and Ethan told him together " Mama is going to have a baby Her and daddy told us last night"

"What?...Wow Congrats Matt Daniel said as he patted him on the back.

"I hate to cut this short but I have to get ready to go, You kids be good for you uncles I have to go back to the house get me and you mama ready to go to town I need to take a look at her at the clinic She will be back with your other Uncles and their families from New York later this afternoon" With that he headed to the house

A half hour after Matt had talked to Lisa, he was back at the house. Matt went upstairs to the master bedroom waking his wife who had fallen asleep again, He sat her up sat and sat beside her and held the ginger ale he put the straw in her mouth,

"Here sip this sweetie it will settle your stomach"

"OK" She sipped the cool liquid and rest her head on his shoulder. " I think I would like to take a shower now."

He went and put a small chair in the bathroom then proceeded to get her and help her walk on her unsteady legs to the bathroom. He got undressed and then helped her undress then they took their shower. When they were done he put towel around his waist and wrapped her long blond hair in a towel and then wrapped the rest of her in an over sized towel and sat her back on the chair he stood in front of the mirror to shave.

"Are you feeling ANY better?" he asked her

"A little. I don't feel as light headed anymore"

" Good I am glad but I do think when I head to the clinic you are coming with me" She went to protest and "no arguing with me on this Lisa I want a full work up done and get baseline measurements and weight and also get you on some prenatal vitamins Besides your Brothers will be at the airport around 11 so you can drive back with them to the ranch when they get into town" Matt told her

"Ok I will have to let Brian and Crane know then" Lisa said

"They already know I told them before when I was down at the stables"

They finished getting dressed and ready Lisa let Matt brush her long blond hair and then he braided it. They left for town about 9:45 and got to the clinic 15 minutes later, When they went in the Old Doc was waiting for Matt but surprised to see Lisa.

"This is a surprise Mrs. Camden, to what do I owe the pleasure" Dr. Hansen Asked

Then Matt spoke up "I need to do a prenatal work up on her before we get started today"

"Prenatal workup already? Boy you two sure didn't waste anytime did you?" Dr. Hansen said with a laugh

"Yeah that's what Brian said too" Matt replied.

He brought Lisa to the exam room and took her vitals and weight and drew the blood for the lab work as well as another Urine test, The tests confirmed what they already knew she was pregnant. He did an internal exam and was finished by 11 am he wrote her a script for her vitamins. Lisa went to stand up and then gripped the chair for dear life

"Are you ok?" Matt asked her

"I am pretty shaky. My legs are like spaghetti let me move around a bit to get my bearings but I don't think I can manage to go by myself to the pharmacy."

"Ok love I will go with you to fill these and then we will wait to hear from one of your brothers to get you back to the ranch ok."

They walked over to Walgreen's and he put her script in and she looked around and Loaded up on ginger ale and cup a soup along with some natural papaya tablets which were a natural cure for nausea. They were finally out of the pharmacy by 11:35 and were in the parking lot and crossed the street back to the clinic when a caravan pulled up and park right next to where they were standing it was very bright out so they couldn't see who was inside very clearly then the front drivers side and passenger side doors opened and out stepped Ridge and Thorne. Ridge ran over to Lisa and scooped her up spinning her around

"Sissy I missed you"

Unfortunately that little act created a wave of nausea and dizziness in Lisa and as he put her down she collapsed, If Matt hadn't been so quick to react and grab her she would have hit he ground. He carried her into the clinic where Ridge and Thorne followed leaving there family in the van. Matt lay her on the exam table and took her vitals,

Lisa came around and went to sit up and said "I am ok Mattie really, you can let me up"

He reluctantly let her up Matt helped her into the waiting room where a Ridge and Thorne were there worried as hell

"What's going on with out baby sister" Ridge demanded and he hugged her gently this time

"I am ok really guys "

" See that she rests when you get back to the ranch, no chores "

"So are you going to tell me what is going on with you?" Thorne asked,

"Oh its just a little MORNING SICKNESS"

"WHAT" both Thorne and Ridge exclaimed

"I am not too far along yet obviously but I am definitely pregnant" Lisa told them

They congratulated them and then Matt said, "So how about you take my wife and head back to the ranch"

"Sounds like a plan" Thorne said

Matt kissed Lisa "I will have my cell on in case don't hesitate to call if you need me love."

They walked out to the van Thorne climbed in the back with the kids Brooke and Macy and Ridge helped Lisa in the front seat and reclined it a bit for her Lisa directed Ridge out of town and they were back at the Ranch with in 15 minutes they got to the gate where she saw Adam and Ford taking down the Camden Forester Ranch sign down and sitting in their truck were the 2 signs that Lisa had ordered Monday That read CAMDENS CROSSING

"Hey stop Ridge" Lisa Got out of the vehicle.

Adam saw her and climbed down the ladder to give to greet Lisa, "Come here preggie" he said as he hugged her " "No heavy work for you"

Then Ridge and Thorne got out of the van they hadn't see their cousins in over 15 years or more not since their grandparents were alive anyway Ridge and Thorne recognized Adam but weren't sure about Ford he was very young the last time they saw him

They greeted each other and shook hands, "Wow Ford you were little the last time we saw you" Thorne said

Then Lisa said, "Thanks for putting up the gate sign. That leaves the barn one, I can handle putting ..."

She was cut off with 4 male voices "Oh no you can't" they all said in unison ad then looked at each other and laughed

"You all aren't going to let me do anything for my ranch for the next 9 months are you

" Nope" said Adam "get used to it"

Lisa got back in the van with her brothers and went down the dirt driveway to the house. Becky, Hannah and Kelley were in the house cooking up a storm Ethan and Emma were in the house setting the big main table when they saw their uncles come in

"Hi uncle Ridge Uncle Thorne" they said "Wow you really have made improvements on the place since we were here last as kids Thorne said,

Lisa showed them to their rooms Chase stayed in Ethan's room and Bridget stayed in Emma's room and there were other spare rooms upstairs as well. Lisa knew she had to get started on some of the 'paperwork so when lunch was ready she ducked into the office while everyone else sat to eat. Hannah and the rest of the McFaddens were there spending time with their cousins eating.

"Where's mama Ethan asked"

"Hmm I don't know" Crane said, "but she has to eat since she is eating for two, I will go find her"

He looked around and found her in the office on the computer catching up on paper work, "Hey time to eat" he said as he walked in.

" No thanks" I will eat later,"

"Hey no arguing you are not just feeding yourself anymore"

"No really I can't I will throw up," She said "I will make a cup a noodle soup later I can't go in the kitchen with that smell"

He kissed her head, "Ok then I will make you soup and then bring that and some ginger ale in here ok then"

He left and 10 minutes later he brought her food as well as a sandwich and sweet tea for himself and sat next to her at the computer, they ate and worked for about an hour, then she was tired of the paper work

"I don't not know how I am going to do only this for 9 months. Your the pencil pusher around here not me. I think I will go and do some gardening ,not the farming with the hay I will leave that to the men just the gardening and green house." Lisa told him

"Ok but don't over do it" Crane replied.

She grabbed the dirty dishes and brought them to the kitchen but realized it was a bad idea when she smelled the food They used her kitchen when making extra large quantities because her kitchen was 3 times the size of the kitchen at circle 7. Kelley, Hannah, Becky, Macy and Brooke along with Emma and Bridget were busy making food for tomorrow the 4th

"Sorry I can't help cook but ..." she went to the bathroom off the kitchen to be sick.

She came out of the bathroom and Becky gave her some ginger ale. She sipped it slowly

"I think I will get out of everyone's way and go to the green house"

She went to the green house and did her usual routine and as the her brothers were shown around the ranch and helped with various other things she did what she needed to do and then went to the chicken coop around 4:30 to clean it then get any new eggs. Matt arrived around the time she had started and saw what she was doing and hurried over to the coop,

"What do you think you are doing?" He asked

"Cleaning the coop and getting the eggs" Lisa said matter of factly

"Getting the eggs is one thing, however cleaning the coop is another. You are not to go near animal feces it can carry pathogens that would be harmful to the baby such as lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus LCMV or a variety of other illnesses that I will need to look up"

" OK ok" she replied

He took the eggs from her and motioned her in the house. It was dinner time and to help Lisa's issue with food they decided to grill outside Matt called his sister Lucy to find out what she and the rest of the family were doing this evening and she was also having a cook out Matt mentioned that Lisa's Brothers were here so they were hosting them.

"So I guess I will see you all at the 4H fairgrounds tomorrow then, We women are cooking up a storm here"

"Yup that's what's going on over here too well see you tomorrow Luce."

He went to the kitchen and all of them Camdens, McFaddens and Foresters were getting ready to eat, Hey Lisa when we are done come out to the barn to see the sign we finished putting them up Adam told her. So Lisa, Matt and her family headed out to the barn when they were done eating to see the sign

"Hey this looks really great Lisa said and they all agreed they stood outside talking for a while. Guthrie,Bridget Chase Emma and Ethan were still inside

**Lisa's parents**

Lisa's parents had returned unexpectedly to New York to find Ridge and Thorne missing apparently on vacation

"I can't believe Thorne and Ridge just took off to on a vacation and left the company without anyone in charge and when we were so far away Luckily we are back in New York to handle any crisis. Stephanie, Lisa's mother said.

"Oh Relax Steph, the company isn't going to fall apart in a couple of days with out anyone there besides tomorrow is the 4th of July and Forester Fashions is closed anyway give it a rest would you." Eric Forester Lisa's father said

"Well I am going to call Thorne again on his cell, She dialed the phone it rang and Bridget, Brooke and Ridge's 8 year old daughter answered, "Hello" she said Hi sweetie its Nana" " Oh hi Nana We are on vacation on a ranch with horses and everything" "Really... that sounds fun, is it far maybe grandpa and I will join you "Uhm I think it is far we had to come on a plane to get here, I will let you talk to Chase while I go get either daddy or Uncle Thorne, Here Chase talk to Nana" Bridget handed the phone to Chase and ran outside to get her someone to talk to her Nana " Hi Nana we miss you 11 year old Chase said "Well I miss you too. We are back in New York, but Grandpa and I would love to see you for the 4th of July Bridget told me you went on a plane to a ranch?" " Yes we did and it would be great Nana if you could come out here. I bet Emma and Ethan would love to meet you." "Who are Emma and Ethan?" She asked " Our Cousins and I bet Uncle Matt and Aunt Lisa would let you stay here in Truckee there is a ton of room the house is huge?" Upon hearing where they were Stephanie became enraged but didn't want to upset Chase. "Oh hang on Nana I hear Daddy, Thorne came running in, he had hoped that neither child told his mother where they were, "Chase can I have the phone, you kids go and play." He took the phone and went to speak to his mother.

I AM WORKING ON CHAPTER 11 NOW PLEASE REVIEW AND TELL ME WHAT YOU THINK OR IF YOU FEEL LIKE IT TELL ME WHERE YOU THINK I SHOULD GO WITH THE CONVERSATION BETWEEN THORNE AND STEPHANIE


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

**Thorne speaks to his mother**

"Hello mother" he said coldly"

"Don't Hello mother me, Chase told me where you are, how could you be at that little whore's house." she spit the words out.

"Mother... I can't say what I really want to at the moment because the kids are within earshot, Ridge and I were already going to have a fight with you anyway about keeping secret the whereabouts of our baby sister known, but now hearing how you just referred to Sissy..." Thorne took a few deep breaths before he continued " It is taking everything I have to control the Rage I am feeling. You are lucky you are talking to me and not Ridge, He has been ready to lose it with you and dad since we found Sissy a few weeks ago and found out about the fight 10 years ago, and that you have known where she has been."

"You have no idea what kind of person she is Thorne" his mother said, I heard Chase mentioned an Uncle Matt, I am assuming he is that preacher's kid,? Well he married the little slut, I am surprised being the son of a minister, but then again she seduced him into having sex. I can only imagine what kind of life they have now playing cowboy I am surprised they only have the 2 kids and not taking after your Aunt Peggy having what a dozen kids. Oh right only 7 all boys my mistake and all cowboy rednecks"

"Mum as far as Matt is concerned that kid as you put it is a doctor now and your daughter graduated college not only with a nursing and midwifery but also in agriculture and animal husbandry and they run the whole ranch, and I don't think dad would appreciate you talking about his dead sister like that I can't believe you would stoop so low. By the way ranching done properly can be a very good business and not only have our cousins the McFaddens done well even after aunt Peggy and uncle Billy died and Lisa and Matt have a very profitable business and NOW I AM GOING TO SAY SOMETHING IN CASE I DIDN'T MAKE IT PLAIN TO YOU BEFORE , You will now stop the derogatory comments about my baby sister and our cousins or I may never speak to you again, especially about Sissy, she is your child. Although right from the start when she was born you and dad never acted like she was wanted. She was five or six when you shipped her to Nana and grandpa's" he told her He looked up to see everyone coming in the house. "Look everyone is coming in the house I had better get off the phone. If you are lucky and can hold your tongue I will see you when we get back"

"But Thorne...Stephanie was cut off by Thorne

"I also think Ridge and I are going to take an extended vacation seeing how you and dad are back in New York " Thorne hung up angrily.

Macy saw that Thorne was upset

"Are you OK, did you and your mother get in a fight over the phone,"

He pulled her aside so as not to upset Lisa "I can't believe my mum, she was like a different person I have never heard her be so nasty before The things she said about Sissy...,"

Ridge over heard them. " What did she say Thorne?" Ridge asked angrily "

"Hang on Ridge, Macy go back with everyone else and not a word of this at least not the part about my mothers reaction and if Bridget and Chase haven't said anything... "

" Oh they already told everyone they talked to Nana" Ridge told Thorne. "Great just great, Macy while Ridge and I talk outside can you do any damage control We don't wasn't Sissy upset. " No Problem Thorne" she kissed her husband and went back to everyone else while Thorne pulled Ridge outside

Thorne struggled to get Ridge outside before he said anything "I pulled you outside because I didn't want Sissy to overhear us lets take a little walk"

" So you talked to Mum spill it. What did she say? Ridge asked

"It took me everything I had not to lose it with her Ridge I can't believe the hatred she has for Sissy you should have heard her, the things she said about her."

Thorne gave Ridge a basic rundown of what their mother said about Lisa and the derogatory remarks made about her. Ridge was so angry he didn't know what to do with himself.

Thorne put his hand on Ridges shoulder"Calm down Ridge you don't want Sissy to see or hear you. She is already unsteady with her being pregnant if you upset her it will make it worse, Let everything go for a few days, Besides I told mum we would be taking an extended vacation here anyway, with them back we have no rush to go back to New York I say we stay at least a month if it is ok with Sissy and Matt.

Ridge took a deep breath "You know what Thorne sounds like a plan, I need at least that long before I actually see Mum and dad for that matter." Well we had better get back in the house before they miss us"

"Hey where did my brothers go?" Lisa asked

"Oh they are outside talking Macy said,

"Oh great, it has something to do with that phone call from my mum" Lisa said as she wrapped her arms around herself and looked towards the floor.

Matt came up behind her and hugged her, " Its OK honey your brothers are big boys they can handle it"

Just then the kids came over " Hey mama can we have ice cream" Ethan asked

"Well I will make you a deal since we have a ton of chocolate in the freezer you can have some, make sure you get out enough paper plate bowls and spoons for everyone. but when you are done you have to help get the ranch shut down for the evening,"

"We will mama" Ethan said

Then Guthrie added "I will help too"

"Sure that's great sweetie," Lisa said Then she whispered in Guthrie's ear "Hey if Adam agrees. I will let you stay and overnight since you agreed to help out with stuff around here seeing how no one will let me lift a finger around here."

"OK, thanks, will you ask Adam? "

"I sure will it WAS, after all my idea." "Hey I heard that.

"Ask me what?" said Adam

"Oh I have to ask you to let Guthrie spend the night"

Adam went to chastise Guthrie for asking.

"I asked him Adam he didn't ask me it was my idea."

"Are you sure maybe I should ask Matt."

"Ask me what" Matt said

Lisa got a bit irritated at Matt and Adam " and when did I become a little girl that I have to get permission?"

"Well you only need permission from me if it has to do with something in which you may overdo it and there is a concern for your health since I am your doctor"

"Having one more kid stay the night isn't a big deal besides Guthrie is old enough to help out around here."

" Hey it will be great to let him stay and extra help with chores I am all for that if it keeps Lisa from doing them" he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Thorne and Ridge walked back inside "Oooh I see ice cream and chocolate. There isn't a Forester alive who can resist chocolate anything" Ridge said "I hope that's not just for the kids"

Then Ridge and Thorne went into the kitchen with everyone else and grabbed a bowl

"So where did you two disappear to?" Lisa asked,

"Oh we had things to discuss" Ridge told her

"Yeah I just bet you did" Lisa said Then she said in a hushed voice, "You were talking about the phone call from mum weren't you?"

"Yes we were it was not too pleasant. She wasn't happy about our little vacation. However now that they are in New York we can actually stay longer like we had originally wanted to even if she isn't happy about it, Well that is if you still want us to stay" " Of course I want you to stay" Lisa said as she hugged Ridge around the neck.

**Stephanie and Eric**

Stephanie had talked with Eric about the situation with their sons and the fact they where in Truckee. Stephanie had called Kristen and had her come back from Milan so she could be in charge while she and Eric headed to Truckee to talk some sense into their sons, Well at least that was what Eric led Stephanie to believe was the purpose of their trip. He had other plans once they got there. Usually Eric could never stand up to Stephanie, She always seemed to run right over him and that cost him his youngest child. he hated the fact that Lisa had been sent to his parents as a young child he should have put a stop to it then , but Stephanie wasn't planning on having to raise Lisa no one but Stephanie and Eric knew the real situation on Lisa's birth Stephanie always fluctuated with her weight so they all assumed Lisa was Stephanie's child Ridge being the oldest was 9 when Lisa was born and with Thorne being the youngest was almost 6 when Lisa was born. So none of them were really old enough to realize anything and since the woman Eric had the affair with died in child birth Eric naturally took his daughter but Stephanie always resented Lisa and then when Lisa came to them after his parents died to ask for emotional support because she was pregnant that was all his wife needed to have her stay away for good.

"_I will agree to go to Truckee but to get Lisa back in our lives not to alienate her more and cause a rift between our sons too_" he thought to himself "Yes I think we should go to Truckee" Eric said

"Good as soon as I know Kristen it on a plane to New York we will take the Forester jet to California" Stephanie said.

**Back in Truckee**

They all ate their Ice cream and Lisa sat back and watched everyone else clean up the kitchen for a change, She didn't have much choice between her husband, her brothers and all her cousins she was lucky that they even let her use her legs to walk.

It was nearing 7:30 Lisa said "I think it is about time we get the ranch shut down for the night I think some of you McFadden Boys had better get to Circle 7 and do the same," Lisa went to stand up.

"and just where do you think your going?" Matt asked.

"To the bathroom she replied "I am still allowed to do that by myself aren't I"

Matt laughed "Yes you are,"

Matt, Guthrie and Crane grabbed some rifles and took Ethan and Chase outside to get everything settled for the night

"Hey can we help" Ridge and Thorne asked,

"Yeah sure come on" Crane said The rest of the Mcfaddens said good night and headed home

Within an hour everyone was back inside and getting ready for bed. Adam had come back with a change of clothes for Guthrie at Hannah's insistence. The house was quiet by 9 pm Lisa had already gotten changed and ready for bed and already put some supply of food next to her side of the bed in case of morning sickness when she woke up. Matt was still in the shower. Lisa took that time to go back downstairs to the office she didn't turn the light on she just sat at the computer which was at the far corner of the room. She started going over figures then she went onto something she hadn't in a while her face-book page. She updated her status to married and went to down load a lot of new pictures including her wedding pictures, she then went to some old pictures she had put on file along time ago. Pictures of her and Matt from before she had left Glen Oak she had some from Matt's 17th birthday on the Santa Monica Pier and then a lot of older ones from when she was a little kid with her brothers and sister, she lingered on those for a while and got plenty teary eyed she didn't have a lot of memories with them after she had turned 6 she was sent to live with her grandparents by then.

Matt got out of the shower ready to play with Lisa and he opened the door to an empty bedroom. He threw on some sweat pants and a T-shirt and went to look for her. He looked downstairs and there were no lights on,

" I hope she didn't go outside, he checked all the doors and they were locked, he went back upstairs and checked the kids bedrooms then knocked on Thorne's door

"Hey what's up" Thorne said as he opened the door a crack

"Oh I am just looking for Lisa I was in the shower and when I came out she wasn't in the bedroom I went downstairs and I couldn't find her"

"Is she in with Ridge and Brooke" Thorne knocked on the door,

He heard Ridge and Brooke say that they were kind of busy Matt and Thorne realized they were fooling around

"Sorry never mind" Thorne said

"You go back to bed Thorne I will find her," Matt said "If within 15 minutes I can't locate her I will wake you up ok"

Thorne went back in the room and Matt went back downstairs he checked the rifle case none were missing,

"_Well at least I know she isn't outside she would never leave the house now without a rifle or gun after dark_." He thought to himself.

He checked all the rooms again then went back over to the office the door was slightly ajar he noticed but no light was on in the room. This time he opened the door all the way over in the far corner he saw her at the computer. He breathed as sigh of relief he turned the light on and Lisa clicked on another page on her face book and turned around

"You had me a bit scared when I couldn't find you What are you doing down here?" Matt asked

She wiped her teary eyes "Oh nothing much" He noticed she looked like she had been crying and went and knelt beside her

"are you ok baby?" he touched her face and wiped another tear. "You have been crying"

She lied and said " Oh I am pregnant I get emotional over everything sad or in this case happy I was just uploading some new pictures to face book and the wedding ones got me all over emotional that's all"

he kissed her " Oh that's so cute. Well how about you come to bed now"

"Ok let me just log off "she logged off and shut the computer down she stood and he scooped her up and carried her out of the room shutting the light off" I am capable of walking you know"

"Oh I know but this way is a lot more fun" he carried her upstairs and she giggled all the way as they passed Thorne and Macy's room Thorne opened the door

"I see you found her."

"yup" was the only reply as he brought her to their room and shut and locked the door, and lay her on the bed.

He quickly got out of his sweats and pulled his t shirt off and then went and pulled off Lisa's night clothes and panties

"and just what do you think your doing Dr. Camden" Lisa said as she giggled

"Give you guess" he replied

"I thought you didn't want me to overdo it you know I have had a very busy day you know."

"I think you will be fine... unless you are really to tired?"

"Tired from what PAPERWORK OH PLEASE" she replied.

He gently kissed her and rubbed her inner thigh He moved his mouth from her mouth to her neck " Oh Mattie" she moaned you feel good

She moved out from under him and pushed him on his back

"Hey what are you doing" He asked

She didn't answer him she showed him making Matt moan but he wanted her to stop

"You do much more of that and I won't last" he groaned

"that's the whole idea isn't it" she replied

"I am barely able to hold on now, Lisa if you do that I will go over the edge and... "

Before he finished the sentence Lisa found what she was looking for

"OH GOD ...". he moaned

He had been so close before it didn't take her to long to send him sailing over the edge. Matt panted trying to slow his heart rate as Lisa climbed back up next to him and settled with her head on his chest where she could hear his heart beat "Wow Lisa that was so amazing" he said as he wrapped his arms around her and they fell asleep in blissfulness.

**Her parents on the way to Truckee**

Eric agreed to go with Stephanie to Truckee they left La Guardia at 10 pm it would be the middle of the night when they got to Reno, He was tired of hearing Stephanie go on and on about what a disappointment his little girl was

"Enough Stephanie, I am tired of listening to you give it a rest" Eric said in frustration

"I can't believe you just spoke to me that way" She replied in a shocked voice.

"Well maybe it is about time I did the older you get the worse you get. Now how about you let me have a little sleep before we get there.

She was so shocked with how he spoke to her she didn't say another word to him the rest of the flight

**Early Morning on July 4th**

Matt woke up before the sun came up around 4:30. Lisa was sleeping peacefully with her head on his chest, he moved to get up and she snuggled closer he gently moved her and got out of bed,

"_I need to put on some coffee."_ he thought to himself

He put on some underwear and pulled on some jeans and a t shirt and his socks and boots and went down stairs and he already smelled coffee he went into the kitchen and found that Thorne and Ridge were already up and sitting at the table talking with concerned looks on their faces They stopped talking when Matt came in

"Don't get all quiet on my account" he said as he poured himself a cup of coffee "You will make me paranoid and I will think you are talking about me or something"

"Well not about you anyway Thorne said

"Where's Sissy?" Ridge asked

"My naked wife is still asleep" Matt replied

"Oh that's a Big TMI" Thorne told him

"TMI? What's that Matt asked.

"TOO MUCH INFORMATION that's what it means" Ridge told him, "Your lucky your married to her or I would have to hurt you" he said and he laughed

"So what were you two talking about when I came in." Matt asked

"We really don't want to talk about it in here incase anyone walks in," Ridge said

"Well since you are already somewhat dressed with sneakers on come on out with me to the barn so we can milk the cows and then if we have time we can muck the horse stalls Usually the kids do a lot of that but since we are up I will put you to work,"

"it's still dark out" Thorne protested

"Well would you rather Lisa get up and do it She would try to sneak out you know" Matt said then he grabbed a few flashlights his house key and a rifle and the three of them headed to the cows first. Matt grabbed 3 huge pails and handed one to each of them"Do you two city boys ever milk a cow?"

"God not since we were kids" Thorne said

"Well then you are ahead of me when I first got here I had never even seen a real cow up close before. My daughter showed me how to milk a cow"

Matt showed them what to do and in no time they had it done

"Ok put them in the cooler out here until we are ready to get them back to the house."

Then they fed the cows and cleaned their stalls

"Boy this really is gross work" Thorne said

"Yup" Matt said "But it has to be done,"

"God why would anyone choose to do this is beyond me Yuk" Ridge said,

"Lisa and the kids love it and well at least we are done in here,"Matt shut the lights off. "We will come back for the milk," Matt said "Now to the Horses we have to feed them and Muck out their stalls too"

They walked across the yard to the horse stables

"So are you going to tell me what the two of you were talking about this morning" Matt asked them

"You can't say anything to Sissy it will upset her" Ridge said

"Believe me I am NOT going to do or say anything that would upset Lisa, so let's have it"

Thorne told Matt about the entire conversation he had with his mother Yesterday including the horrible things she said about Sissy and his aunt Peggy. Matt shook his head in disbelief he was furious,

"You see now why we didn't want our baby sister to know anything" Ridge said "

"Yes I sure do see, I do not want that woman anywhere near my WIFE EVER!" Matt replied angrily.

"And it is also why we have decided to take an extended vacation here after all We are in no hurry to go home and deal with mum" Thorne said

It was now 6:30 am and they were finished

"Lets go get the milk and go inside we can let the kids clean the chicken coop and get the eggs" Matt said

They headed back toward the house and Guthrie, Ethan and Chase were coming outside

They ran over to Matt "Hi daddy: Ethan said

"Hey buddy, do you think you Chase and Guthrie can take care if the chicken coop and getting the eggs this morning, Me and your uncles already milked the cows and fed then and cleaned out the stalls and then went and fed and mucked out the horses stalls as well"

"Sure daddy" Ethan said Matt,

Thorne and Ridge went into the house. Emma and Bridget were in the kitchen with Macy and Brooke.

"Good morning Daddy" Emma said

"Hi ,You girls want to take care of the milk while me and your uncles go take a shower.

The 3 of us smell like horse manure" Sure daddy I will show them how to out away the milk." The pails were left in the kitchen and the 3 men went upstairs to take showers. Matt went in through the master bedroom and looked at his still sleeping wife she hadn't moved from the position he left her in earlier, He went in the shower and was out 10 minutes later wrapped in a towel, he put on some fresh underwear and sat on the bed beside Lisa she was laying on her stomach, he got lotion out and massaged her back

"Mmmmm that feels good" Lisa said groggily

"How are you feeling?" Matt asked

"My stomach is a bit queasy but other that that I think I am fine,"

She turned over and sat up and grabbed her nightshirt "I woke up around 3 and ate some crackers I think that helps" she said as she grabbed some more of them of the bedside table "What time is it?"

" Almost 7am" Matt told her Lisa bolted up

"You shouldn't have let me sleep that long there is so much that had to be done" Lisa said in a panic

"Relax sweetie" Matt said as he took her by the hand and had her sit back on the bed. Morning chores are done and Ridge, Thorne and I were up around 4 am doing the barn and stable work I even got them to help Milk the cows" Matt laughed as he said it "Before I came upstairs Ethan, Guthrie and Chase were headed to the chicken coop to take care of that and bring in the eggs in. Then Macy and Brooke will get breakfast going with the help of the girls. I would like you to stay out of the kitchen. I know some smells make you sick. I will bring you some chicken broth and some toast and a cup of tea Why don't you take a shower and get dressed. Are you ok to do that? Or do you want some help?" Matt asked

Lisa stood up and walked around a bit "I think I can manage" she went to take a shower and he went down to lend a hand in the kitchen and make her something to eat He grabbed a quick bite himself. The phone rang, he grabbed it quickly it was his mother Annie

"Oh hi mom good morning"

"Hey Matt how is everything over there" Really good actually. Even Lisa feels ok this morning"

"Oh that's great Hey Lucy wanted to know what time everyone goes over to the 4 H today " Annie asked

"Well I talked to Adam yesterday and he said noontime" "Well I guess we will see you then" He hung up and then he brought food up to Lisa.

**Eric and Stephanie**

They got into Truckee around 7:30 am and got a room at the little motel room next to Marie's diner. Stephanie entered the little room first and threw her bag on the bed

"I can't believe what a little hole in the wall this place is in this rinky dink small town. I can't believe we had to come here to get Ridge and Thorne to come home and away from HER" She said

Eric was secretly happy to be in Truckee " _I haven't been here since Ridge, Thorne and Kristen were teenagers and Lisa was a toddler. God my parents were alive .How I have missed this place" _ he thought to himself "Well Stephanie We didn't have to come if you didn't want to We could have waited to hear from either Ridge or Thorne" Eric Forester said in frustration

"Oh and Let **HER** brainwash them against me I don't think so, Well I am going to take a long hot bath and relax before I have to do battle."

Eric took the opportunity to step outside and call Ridge on his cell he dialed the phone Ridge was in the kitchen at Lisa and Matt's, eating when his phone rang He answered it without looking at it,

"Happy 4th this is Ridge."

"Hi Ridge its dad And before you start in on me let me just say I am not on your mum's side when it comes to Lisa ok I just wanted you to warn you that she dragged me to Truckee and we are in a motel in the center of town. Although I did come willingly Its not for the reason she thinks."

Ridge got up and walked away from everyone so he was out of earshot "Oh dad this is going to be a problem After what Thorne told me and Matt about his conversation with mum this is going to be very volatile And Sissy's husband, you must remember Matt Camden. Well since he knows about everything, he doesn't want mum anywhere near her."

Ridge told his dad just what his mum said about her to Thorne

" And dad Thorne and I are upset with you too as far as never telling us her whereabouts I know Mom spoke to Aunt Peggy and I am assuming you did to so you both knew full well about her location."

" You know I have never been able to stand your to your mother After the affair I had before Lisa was born I was just happy that your mother forgave me and took me back, But I have been wrong I should have stood up for my baby girl, and even though Lisa was unplanned, I should have fought harder to keep her at home instead of having my parents raise her I lost out on most of her life because I wasn't strong enough to stand up to your mother, but that ends with this visit even if it cost me my marriage,"

"Oh dad I am sorry for you" Ridge told him

" I am going to need you and your brother to really back me up with this, Because this is going to be very hard for me."

" I can Pretty much vouch for Thorne that as long as you are willing to stand up for Sissy We will be there for you 100%."

" Can we meet with out your Mum I want to talk to you both. Maybe you should bring Matt too, There is a little diner near the motel called Marie's. Can you leave and be here soon Your mother just got in the bath and you know her she maybe in there for at least an hour or longer if we are lucky."

"Ok I will grab Matt and Thorne and we will be there in 15 minutes" Ridge said and he hung up,

Ridge went to the kitchen "Thorne get ready we have to take a ride. Let me go get Matt since he knows this area better I think he should drive anyway"

Ridge went upstairs to Matt and Lisa's bedroom and the door was ajar he knocked and poked his head in, Hey Matt, He said " What's up Matt asked " Me, you and Thorne need to go for a drive and your driving." " OK? Where are we going?" I will tell you on the way Ridge replied Matt kissed Lisa and headed off with Matt.

Matt got into the driver's seat of his explorer and Ridge got in the front and Thorne go in the back. They pulled out and headed down the dirt driveway to the gate. he stopped at the gate,

"so are you going to tell me where we are going or do I have to guess," Matt said

"Someplace called Marie's diner, do you know it" Ridge asked

"Sure Everyone in Truckee knows it, why are we going there?". Matt asked.

"Uhm to meet someone Ridge replied and didn't say anything else

Thorne sat forward "Ok Ridge who are we meeting?" "Before I tell you ... let me say he is on our side and wants our support to stand up to her he called us also to warn us..." Ridge said

"Ok who" Matt asked

"Well...Dad." Ridge told them

"What... Dad is here... in Truckee.?" Thorne asked

"Yes and mum is with him but when he called she was in one of those moods and had just gotten into the tub so she could be in it for an hour or more that's why I rushed you she doesn't know dad called us"

"Well Let me make this clear YOUR MOTHER IS NOT GOING TO SEE MY WIFE! I WILL NOT LET HER BE UPSET" Matt said angrily

"You will get no arguments from us Matt. We love Sissy" Thorne said

Ridge told the 2 of them the long conversation he and his dad had over the phone, "Unfortunately dad has no backbone when it comes to mum, but he realizes he has been wrong and wants to try to fix things"

They pulled into the parking space in front of Marie's 10 minutes later and walked in to see Eric Forester in a booth in the back.

They all walked to the back Eric Stood up to shake Matt's hand "nice to see you again"

"Well the jury is still out to whether I am going to respond the same" but Matt still shook his hand

"I suppose I deserve that" Eric said.

They all sat down and the waitress brought them coffee Eric told them just how irate Stephanie was and how she thought Lisa was brainwashing Ridge and Thorne to gang up against her.

"I have never heard anything so ridiculous in my life, she thinks that about my sweet wife. Is the woman crazy?" Matt asked

"Sometimes we think so" Ridge stated

"Lisa Definitely is not going to see her mum, she barely feels well enough as it is She was having a good morning just a little shaky I am not letting anything upset her Matt said.

"Is my baby girl sick, what's wrong with her," Eric asked,

"Yeah she unfortunately she isn't going to feel too great for the next couple of months... morning sickness" Matt said

"Lucky for Lisa her husband is a doctor" Thorne said

"Congratulations son" Eric said to Matt

They sat for quite a while and chatted Matt told him about how he had only gotten back together with Lisa and they had been married for a few weeks and the joy of reconnecting with her and getting to know Emma and Ethan, He pulled out his phone which had pictures of the wedding and their honeymoon/vacation Eric marveled at how beautiful his daughter was and at his gorgeous grandchildren. There were pictures of their trip in New York with Ridge, Thorne and their family at Ridges home and at the Statue of Liberty. They got so caught up in conversation about Matt and Lisa and how they were going to handle Stephanie that they lost track of time.

Stephanie got out of the tub and got dressed when she went back into the room Eric was nowhere to be found. After waiting 15 minutes she left the room and went to look for him. It was already 9:15, she figured she would try that little diner. She walked in and saw Eric with Ridge, Thorne and another very handsome young Man and she walked up to the booth They looked up to see her, Eric's mouth went dry,

Thorne spoke up " Hello mother. She ignored his cold tone

"Well Eric I am glad you went ahead and got them here, have you managed to talk some sense into them yet"

"Well Mum we have had a long conversation with dad" Ridge said "it was very enlightening. We were just trying to figure out what to do with you"

"What are you talking about there is nothing wrong with me," her voice started to elevate

"The only reason I came here is because I wanted to see my baby girl and my grandchildren. I made the mistake a long time ago to let you push her away. I wasn't man enough to fight you" Eric said "But I am telling you now that I am going to rectify that issue now."

She went to say something, "Stephanie you had better sit down and shut up" Eric said to her,

She sat but then said, " How dare you speak to me that way"

"Mum the only reason you came here is to cause trouble and We want to protect Sissy" Thorne told her "If for some sick reason you want nothing to do with her fine but you can't tell all of us what to do we love her and have missed out on too much of her life because of you"

Matt sat there and listened to the conversation trying to keep his anger at Lisa's mother controlled.

Stephanie stood up "Great just great" she whispered under her breath so to not cause a scene

"Why don't you just go back to New York mum, its obvious you don't want to be here" Ridge said

"I can't believe you all,.. that little bitch really has you all fooled"

With that Matt lost his composure " DON'T YOU EVER SPEAK ABOUT MY WIFE THAT WAY! "

"Oh I thought I recognized you how you've grown up Mattie. So you were idiot enough to marry the little slut but I guess you had to because you did father illegitimate children "

Matt stood up "OH THAT'S IT,YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY CHILDREN AND MY PREGNANT WIFE,.. JUST GO BACK TO NEW YORK YOU ARE NOT WELCOME HERE" Matt looked at Thorne, Ridge and Eric "I am sorry guys I need some air I will wait for you in the Explorer" he stormed out of the diner.

"I can't believe he spoke to ME like that. Who does he think he is?"

"Lisa's Husband that's who he is and our son-in-law" Eric replied "I think you should go back to the room and reconsider and maybe adjust your attitude If you can't then please just go back to New York"

Stephanie was furious and she left the diner to go up to the motel room. Eric paid the bill and they got up to leave. They walked to the explorer and Ridge and Thorne got in,

"Hey Matt can you wait a few minutes I need to run up stairs" Eric asked

"Well as long as you do not bring your wife back with you sure I will wait"

Eric went to the motel room and Stephanie was pacing back and forth

"Well finally you decided to come to the room" Stephanie said angrily

"Well not for long" He grabbed HIS bags I am headed to the ranch to see my daughter and my grandchildren"

" What...no you can't" she said angrily

"Look Stephanie I know you have issues with Lisa, and why but that has nothing to do with me, I love you but you are WRONG, The plane is still at the airport so just go back to New York,"

"and you are what going to stay at the ranch" she said crassly

"Yes I am going to stay at the ranch to see MY daughter and get to know my grandchildren" With that he grabbed his bags and went to the ranch.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**July 4 Lisa's reunion with her dad**

Eric went down to the parking lot to Matt's Explorer and got in and tossed his bags in the way back, "I am hoping I am welcome at the ranch I want so much to see my baby girl"

" I am sure we have room enough for you" But I want all of you to agree not to mention how bad Stephanie was and no mention of what she said, to Lisa or to anyone else I do not want it getting back to Lisa, I do not want her upset. Matt said They all agreed

They drove to Camden's Crossing and got to the gate

"I see you changed the name of the ranch, I like it" Eric said.

Matt continued down the driveway to the ranch He noticed the kids were in the corral area riding horses and Crane and Brian were at the edge of the stables. Matt parked in front of the house. The four of them got out and Thorne and Ridge grabbed their dad's bags.

Chase and Bridget got of the horses they were riding when they saw Eric F. They came running over, "Grandpa" they both said as they hugged him then they looked around, "Where's Nana?"

"Oh she isn't here you will half to be satisfied with just me" He replied.

Emma, Ethan and Guthrie stayed in the corral with the horses "Hey Ridge,

"Thorne why don't you give me your dad's bags and then you all can head over to the Corral and Introduce him to my kids Emma and Ethan and his nephew Guthrie, I want to warn Lisa that your dad is here and let her know everything is Ok before she sees him, I don't want her to be upset." Matt sad as he walked in the house

He set the bags on the floor by the couch, he saw heard a lot of women in the kitchen and walked over to the room Macy, Brooke Hannah, Becky and Kelley were all cooking and packing things up to take to the 4H. Allie was sitting at the table coloring and Dylan was is his bouncy seat asleep. Matt didn't see Lisa

"Oh hey Matt" Becky said as he walked in.

"Where's my wife?" he asked

"Oh she was trying to help earlier but the smell from the chili made her sick so she went up stairs to lie down for a bit before we leave" Hannah told him

"We will need help loading the vehicles but we can wait a bit , I know the kids, Crane and Brian are out at the stables and in a half hour or so Adam, Daniel, Evan, and Ford should be here."

" Well I am going upstairs to check on my wife."

He walked upstairs into the bedroom and Lisa was asleep. He sat on the bed and Lisa opened her eyes

"Oh hi Mattie your back"

"Hi honey how are you feeling?" he asked her,

"Oh pretty queasy but I will live, it wasn't my idea to come up here to nap I was sort of forced into it" She told him.

She noticed Matt was fidgeting What's going on Mattie?" she asked him

"Uhm...listen I have to tell you something about the little drive I took with your brothers into town," Matt said "We went to Marie's"

"Oh.. How come?" Lisa asked,

"to meet with your dad"

" Wwwhat... he's here in town. Lisa said in a panicked voice" What about mum?"

"Well she is in town at the motel but hopefully not for long. But your dad is here at the ranch, don't worry though Lisa, he is here because he wants to be. To admit he was wrong he wants to connect with you and the kids he really does love you" Lisa was choked up

"How does mum feel about things?"

"That unfortunately is a different story she hasn't changed her mind about things So I believe she is heading home."

"Where is daddy now?" she asked,

"Probably still outside, all the kids were out there Ridge and Thorne were walking him over to the corral where he could meet Emma and Ethan and see Guthrie again Crane and Brian were over by the stables too. Are you up for going to see him?"

Lisa shook her head yes and got up looked at herself in the mirror to make sure she looked ok. She straightened herself out a bit Matt grabbed her anti nausea supplies and then the two of them went downstairs

Lisa noticed the bags next to the couch "Oh those are your dad's, I hope you don't mind" Matt said

"No its fine," she replied and then smelled the food "I think I had better get out of the house I need some fresh air"

She walked outside with Matt and toward the stables. The kids were on horses riding around the corral. They got over to the corral, Her dad had his back to her he was talking and joking with the kids Emma and Ethan seemed very much to be at ease with him.

As she got closer she said " Daddy?" Eric turned around and walked over to her

"My baby girl" he said and he hugged her.

"Mattie I think I am going to go for a walk with daddy We will be back to the main house in 20 minutes. The kids should go and take care of the horses and we should all be ready to go in 45 minutes ok"

" Sure honey" Matt said " You take it slow and easy don't over do it."

Lisa and her dad walked an talked he apologized for the fact he didn't stand up to her mother and that he wasn't a better father she forgave him and told him she wanted him in her family's life. They walked back to the house arm in arm, Eric finally had his little girl back,

he thought to himself " _I am not going to let Stephanie ruin this for me." _

They got to the house and everyone was there all his including all the McFaddens, Eric's nephews. They were almost done loading all the vehicles

"Hi sweetie" Matt said to Lisa "We are almost ready to go"

"Ok just let me run in the house and go to the bathroom. She was out in 10 minutes and all the vehicles pulled out and headed to the 4H

**Stephanie **

It was nearing noontime Stephanie didn't want to leave yet, she wanted to try one more time to talk some sense into her sons and husband,

"I am hungry" she said out loud "I think I will grab some lunch at that diner"

When she went to the diner they were closing early and putting a great deal of food in the back of a pick up truck

"Your closed?" Stephanie said to the men loading the truck.

"Yup everyone in the county is heading over to the 4H for the 4th of July festival Food will be available there if you don't bring your own. If you have a car ma'am you can follow us over."

Stephanie got in the rental car and followed the pick-up truck " Well if this is a big deal around here I hope My husband and my sons and there family turn up here if I am Lucky I will see Lisa and give her a piece of my mind,

**4th of July at the 4H**

The activity at the 4H was in full swing by the time the got there at 12:30 They all parked and proceeded to unload the vehicles They found a good area with a few picnic tables grill sites and plenty of room to spread the blankets out for the kids The rest of the Matt's family that were in Truckee met up with them and out their own stuff out next to theirs. There were a couple of stages with various musical bands playing and a great midway. Of course the kids wanted to go on the rides After all the stuff was set down the kids, Emma, Ethan, Guthrie, Chase, Bridget, Sam and David started to hound the adults about going on rides. Even 3 year old Allie and 2 year old Savannah wanted to go on the Merry go round The women sent the men off to take the kids and but Daniel, Ford and Evan even Ruthie walked off with them she kinda of liked Evan. They went off by themselves to check out the social situation. Simon and Cecelia went off by themselves as well

Kelley and Lucy sat on the blanket with baby Dylan and baby Nathaniel and Lisa sat down next to them with The rest of the women were setting up things, About 20 minutes later Lisa went to get up

"I have to go to the restroom AGAIN!" she walked in the direction of the port a potty.

She saw the Old doc and his wife Irene and his grown kids and grandkids near the ticket vendor. He stepped away from his family when he saw Lisa and approached her

"How are you feeling my dear" he asked her

"I am ok just more tired than usual."

They chatted for a few and then she headed for the port a potty again, when she was done she got out and headed back to the picnic area, She didn't see her mother until it was too late.

"My my my, what have we here" Stephanie said happy to have her all alone away from the family.

"Mum...what are you doing here I thought you would be headed back to New York, at least that is what dad said" Lisa replied in a panicked voice.

"Yes you would like that you little bitch for me to leave so you could take MY family away from me" Stephanie said angrily

Eric F Lisa's Dad wanted to see if she wanted to go for a walk around the midway. He had left Ethan and Emma in good hands with both Matt and their other grandpa He walked back to the picnic area,

"hey Dad "Macy said "back so soon?"

"Well I am looking for my baby girl I want to see if she wants to go for a walk. Where is she?"

"Oh she headed over to the port a potty about 10 minutes ago" Macy said as she pointed in the direction Lisa walked

"Thanks Macy" Eric f said " I will go with you" Annie Matt's mom said and the two of them headed off to find her.

Lisa was backing off from her mother who was getting more and more hostile

"Mum I really don't want to get into this with you and I don't want to take Dad and my brothers away from you but they are my family too."

"You don't deserve them you little slut and I heard you got yourself knocked up again."

"Mum Mattie and I are married we have a good life we both are educated people I understand how you felt about me 10 years ago when I was pregnant, but I am a grown woman now mum, and made a life for myself and my kids and I am blessed to be back with Mattie. Can't you just be happy for me? I am your daughter. If not I won't bother you I have stayed out of you life like you wanted. But whether or not my dad and brothers and Kristen for that matter want to be in my family's life is their choice you can't make it for them"

"You are not going to get away with this you need to be taught a lesson Lisa how dare you stand there all high and mighty thinking you know better than me! How dare you!" she said as she slapped Lisa hard with her left hand, her wedding rings caught Lisa at the mouth and created a big cut She slapped Lisa so hard that Lisa lost her balance and fell back and hit her head.

Lisa's Dad Eric F. and Annie, Matt's mother were close enough to see what happened Doc Hansen saw it too and the three of them ran to Lisa who was unconscious.

"What the hell is wrong with you Stephanie" Eric F screamed as he pushed her aside.

Some of the other bystanders made sure to detain Stephanie until the sheriff could get there. Lisa's dad, Annie and the Doc got down on the ground to check Lisa out her face near her lip was bruising up swelling and bleeding, The Doc checked her out to make sure there where no other injuries.

"We need to move her off the ground I want to take her to the clinic office" The Doc said

Lisa's father gently lifted her and went with the Doc

"I will go find Matt and we will meet you at your office" Annie said "and I will also find Kevin to tell him of the assault since he is part of the sheriff department now."

She ran off to the Midway to find them Eric F Lisa's dad followed Doc to his Car and got in the backseat still carrying Lisa She was beginning to regain consciousness but was groggy. Her dad was holding a cold cloth to her face to stop the bleeding.

Annie spotted the group of men in her family and immediately saw Kevin and Matt and ran as fast as she could "Kevin you need to go over to the port a potties and arrest Lisa's mother there are people detaining her that saw what happened they will fill you in, Matt you have to come with me. We have to quickly get to your office Lisa's father and the Doc are bringing her there now Hurry" and they ran to the explorer and sped to the clinic His mom filled him in on what she and Lisa's dad had seen happen.

Matt got to the clinic in a matter of minutes and he and his mother jumped out and ran inside. Lisa was in one of the exam room with the Doc and Eric F was in the waiting room.

"How is she?" Matt asked,

"She has regained consciousness she is back in the exam room," Lisa's dad told him

Annie waited with Lisa's dad and Matt went back to the exam room The doctor had just shot Lisa's lip area full of Lidocaine and was waiting for it to numb up so he could stitch her up. Matt was horrified when he walked in and saw his wife but so as not to upset her he kept his feelings and reaction hidden

"How is she Doc," he asked

"Well as soon as I get her stitched up I want you to take her to Tahoe Forest Hospital she took a nasty fall and hit her head and she lost consciousness for more than a few minutes. She needs a Ct scan she probably should have an internal exam to make sure everything in ok with the baby. Do you want me to stitch her lip up or do you want to do it" the Doc asked

Matt's hands were shaky" I think you had better do it" he said as he looked at his hands

Within 5 minutes Lisa was stitched up and she was given a new Ice pack for her face

"I am going to call Emergency and let them know you are bringing her in." Doc Said "I think she is in good hands now unless you want me to go with you Dr. Camden"

"No we will be fine. You go back to the 4 H and try and enjoy the rest of the day with your family and thanks a lot. Matt told him "I will be right back honey he said to Lisa and went into the waiting room "Lisa is going to need a Ct scan for the bump on the head and I want her monitored not only for the head injury but I want more extensive testing on the baby. Mom, Eric, There is no sense in all of us going to the hospital why don't you go back to the 4 H fairgrounds with Dr. Hansen and be with the rest of the family, and well I hate to bring this up but you might want to check on the status of your wife" Matt said

He tried not to sound angry it wasn't his fault that Stephanie injured Lisa They both reluctantly agreed,

Matt went back to Lisa, "Honey I want to do a quick check on you to make sure you and the baby are ok,"

He undressed her from the waist down and did an internal exam.

"Thank God everything seems to be ok , but I will have more extensive testing done on you at the hospital and no arguing you have a nasty bump on the head you need a CT scan"

He helped her get dressed again and then gently lifted her up and then they all went outside and he placed her in the passenger seat of the explorer. Annie and Eric F got in the Doc's car and headed back to the 4H.

Matt took Lisa to the hospital where they were already waiting for her and since she was not only well known in the area she was also the New Doctors wife they took her in immediately after numerous tests including a CT scan and several hours later she was deemed ok to go home since she was under the care of her husband who was also her doctor. Everything has checked out ok she had a mild concussion and the baby was fine no trauma to that part of her body Although her face looked like she had been in a bar fight. She was discharged around 6 pm

"I am kind of hungry Mattie I haven't eaten all day can we stop someplace before we get home even if it is a drive thru."

"Sure sweetie I will call in an order for chicken ok" Matt called in an order to Brown's chicken

Then the hospital staff wheeled her out to the entrance and he got his explorer and parked it. He got out and lifted her back into the passenger side. They drove away and went to go get their food to take it home

"You know I can walk you know" Lisa told him,

"Not today your not and you are not getting out of bed once we get home for the next day or so you have a concussion you must limit activity and any thinking activity as well which means no office work either. Let you body and brain heal ok Otherwise I will turn around and have them admit you" he told her,

"I will be good I promise," she told him

Matt pulled up to the restaurant and went in and got the food and then they headed home 15 minutes later they were back to the ranch.

"Ok Let me bring you in first" he carried her up to the bedroom

He went back to the car brought in the food and went into the kitchen to get a fresh ice pack and brought it up to the bedroom. They ate and then he helped her into her night clothes and stayed with her until she fell asleep, He then went outside to check on the livestock and was back in an hour later. he sat up in the chair in the bedroom it was about 9pm and in the distance he heard the fireworks, they continued for about a 1/2 hour. He woke Lisa around 10:00 just to check her level of consciousness, then he lifted the now melted icepack and looked at her face her poor face was near her mouth was so swollen and bruised.

"Ow that hurts" she told him.

The lidocaine had long worn off and she was in considerable pain in that area. He gave her some Tylenol.

"Do you want another ice pack?" he asked,

"Yes please."

"OK I will go down to get another one be right back" he kissed her on the head and then went downstairs

He got downstairs and he heard cars pull up. He went into the kitchen for another Ice pack and went back upstairs to bring it to her.

"Sounds like everyone one is home he said to Lisa as he gently put the ice pack on her face.

He heard a bunch of people come in the house. Then he heard footsteps up the stairs and a gentle knock on the bedroom door,

"Daddy" he heard Emma say "can me and Ethan come in?"

Lisa shook her head yes "Sure come in" Matt told them "Mama is tired though so not for long"

"Are you ok" Mama Ethan asked, The ice pack was on her face so they couldn't see the injury

"Yes I am" she said but she sounded funny to them it was because her mouth was so swollen.

"We heard what happened. Everyone all made us stay until after the fireworks were over Emma said

"but we wanted to come home earlier we were scared for you" Ethan said That nana lady isn't very nice. We are sorry she hurt you is it bad?" Ethan asked

"Is the baby ok daddy" Emma asked too

"Yes the baby is ok and mama will heal although she has a concussion and will need to be in bed for a couple days and her face under the icepack hurts that's why she sounds a bit funny, Matt told them

"Can we see it mama?" Emma asked

"Only for a minute it hurts" Lisa replied

Matt lifted the icepack gently off her face and when Emma and Ethan saw it they both started to cry Matt put it back on her face and Emma and Ethan hugged her, " Ok Mama is tired and she needs to sleep, so you two get ready for bed." Matt set his alarm every 2 hours he needed to wake her so he didn't sleep very much.

**July 5th**

When morning came,Matt had dozed off in the chair beside her.

Lisa's father quietly opened the door walked over to Matt and gently shook him awake "Shh, don't wake her" he said "We need to talk.

Matt went downstairs to the office with him and they shut the door.

"First of all how is my daughter?" he asked

"Well she will be ok she needs to be on bed rest for a couple of days she has a bad concussion but other than that and the injury to her face she is ok and so far it seems the baby is fine" Matt replied

"Ok now to a much harder topic because I am torn about this because I love my daughter, but as wrong as she is I also love my wife. But I also fear for the safety of my daughter if Stephanie is in the same state, however I didn't bail her out of jail yet partly because of my concern for Lisa's safety and also because it wasn't an option with yesterday being a holiday, I do think a restraining order will need to be filed against her but because Lisa is on bed rest you will have to be the one to obtain it today. You can follow me to the courthouse. Stephanie's arraignment is today and I think as Lisa's Husband and her doctor you should be there, I do ask that you don't ask for jail time but she should have to do a lot of community service around people she isn't comfortable with like let say homeless people, I have been on the phone to my lawyer in New York he thinks he can have her sentence carried out in New York city so we can get her as far away from Lisa as possible I am assuming you want that too"

"Yes that is what I want" Matt replied "When she hurt Lisa yesterday I wanted to Lock up Stephanie and throw away the key part of me still does , but I know that is not what Lisa would want to happen to her mum so I don't think jail time is the solution. and yes I will go with you. Although someone has to sit with Lisa while I am gone Maybe Thorne or Ridge?"

"Well Thorne and Ridge are going to go with us to the courthouse, however Kristen has flown out and is downstairs she won't be going to court she wanted to sit with Lisa while we went. If all goes well Stephanie will fly back to New York with our attorney and serve out whatever the sentence is there." Eric F stated

"Well we will see how it goes Let me hop in the shower and throw a suit on then I need to call the doc to let him know what is going on He and Dr. Willoughby will need to cover the clinic until Monday for me anyway." Let me make the call for you Matt go take your shower.

Matt was finished within 15 minutes. He put gel in his hair to keep it out of his face and put on a suit and tie. He woke Lisa to give her an edited version of what was going on today with her mother. "Don't worry we will try to keep her out of jail, we just want her away from you. Your dad's plan has merit you know"

"OK I guess I just don't want mum in jail." she said as she went to sit up "wow sitting up is more of a challenge than I thought."

"You need to stay in bed," Matt insisted "No I can't I have to go to the bathroom any way, then I have to hop in the shower and get ready to go with "she said, as she tried to stand on her wobbly legs.

"Well I will help you go to the bathroom but you my sweet wife are not going anywhere but back to bed." "But I want to see my mum and tell her how sorry I am I didn't mean to cause problems or to upset her"

"What...you didn't do anything wrong you have nothing to be sorry for. She assaulted you not the other way around and no you are not going. Any way there is a someone waiting to see you she will sit with you while we go to court

"Who" Lisa asked Let me take you to the bathroom and help you get washed up a bit and brush your hair out of your face, When you are back in bed I will have her come up," He helped her and Lisa was back in bed 15 minutes later. I will have some food brought up for you

"But there are chores to be done too" Lisa complained

"Don't worry about ranch chores Crane and Brian and the kids are probably handling everything so just relax"

Matt had Becky make some food for Lisa and when it was done Kristen would bring it up to her. Matt left with Lisa's dad and Thorne and Ridge they took two vehicles and headed to Tahoe Superior Court

Stephanie paced the holding cell as the attorney spoke with her, "You need to behave yourself. You could face up to 6 months in jail a fine up to $1000 and 6 months probation Mrs. Forester we are trying to get you off with just community Service and have your case transferred to New York State. Your Daughter despite the fact of what happened doesn't want her mother to do any jail time but you will have to agree not to go anywhere near her. Dr. Camden will be requesting a restraining order,"

Stephanie looked up Eric was let in to the holding cell "Oh Eric" Stephanie said "Please you have to get me out of here"

"The attorney will do his best. If you are lucky you will only do community service and that's only because Lisa and Matt aren't pushing the issue."

At the mention of Lisa's name she felt the oncoming rage and hatred she always felt but decided it best to keep a lid on her emotions for the time being

Eric continued "He just wants you to stay away from her. He will be in the court room but Lisa will not she is on bed rest for a few days due to the concussion and the fall. Even though Matt said everything is fine I can tell he is still worried about the baby" Eric handed her a bag "Here I brought you a change of clothing" The officer led Stephanie to a place where she could change.

Kristen brought up soup and crackers and ginger ale to Lisa

The door was ajar "Knock knock "she said and pushed the door open with her foot.

"Kristen? Oh my god I am so happy to see you"

"Hey Sissy," Kristen said as she looked and saw Lisa's face "Oh Sissy your poor face I can't believe mum did this." Kristen said as set the tray table on the bed

"I am so glad you are here. They sat and chatted for a long time and caught up on many things.

Meanwhile back at court There were a few cases ahead of them so they waited patiently in the court room Then Stephanie was brought in for her arraignment Both attorneys gave there side Stephanie reluctantly plead guilty Matt was allowed to speak and give and account of his wife's condition and a restraining order was granted and because this was Stephanie's first offense and everyone thought it best for her to go back to New York the Judge granted that her case was transferred for follow up to the State of New York and she would get community service and would need to report to her probation officer on Monday and she was to be on the next flight back to New York. Matt was excused and left the court room while they court clerk pulled together Stephanie's paperwork to give it to the attorney and fax a copy to the court in New York. Eric stayed with Stephanie and Ridge exited the court room where he found Matt sitting waiting for the prosecutor to come out with a copy of the restraining order. Thorne stayed behind to talk to his dad a few minutes later Matt was handed his paperwork

The prosecutor actually knew Lisa and the kids and let Matt know it, "I hope Lisa is ok and I am glad this incident didn't cause Lisa to have a miscarriage Let her know that Doug McLaughlin said hi would you"

"Sure I will Thanks"

A few minutes later Thorne came out, alone "Hey Matt dad said to say he will go back to New York with mum to make sure she gets there and will stay until one of us gets back there he will come back in a few weeks he wants more time out here He figured Kristen would want to stay out here for a bit too He already had his bags in the rental car I think it is best we go before He and Mum come out."

So they left and headed back to the ranch Eric and Stephanie went back to New York.

Kristen sat in the bedroom with Lisa, who after she ate and took her prenatal vitamins and some more Tylenol didn't feel very well she lay back down and Kristen sat with her. Matt got back to the ranch with Thorne and Ridge about 11 am and the first thing he did was run up to check on Lisa. He went into the room Lisa was asleep.

"How long as she been sleeping?" he whispered to Kristen

"About an hour or so" she replied "Sissy wasn't feeling well, so she wanted to go back to sleep, her stomach and head were bothering her"

"Why don't you head downstairs, your brothers want to fill you in on todays court proceedings."

Kristen went downstairs to talk to Thorne and Ridge. Matt got changed out of his suit into more appropriate attire for working at the ranch He had just started to get his other clothes back on When Lisa woke up

"Don't dress so quickly I am enjoying the view" he put his jeans down

"Hey sweetie you are awake how do you feel?",

"a bit better, can I get up for a bit I am tired of being in bed?" she asked

"I don't want you up walking around Lisa"

"Well when you get dressed just carry me downstairs and put me on the couch I will stay put I promise no office work either I just need a change of scenery."

Matt agreed and when he was dressed he helped her into some sweats and put her slippers on and carried her downstairs and put her on the couch.

"I will be right back I just want to grab your supplies a pillow and something to cover you with"

While Matt went upstairs Ridge let her know the basics of what happened at court and that a restraining order was granted Matt came down at the tail end of the explanation

"The prosecutor I found out was a friend of yours he said to say hi "Matt said

"Oh really who?"

"Doug McLaughlin" Oh I know he and his wife Julie They go to our church. So he is back to work he had been on Paternity Leave, She had just delivered Number 3 a week before you came to Truckee."

A delivery Truck from Wal-Mart pulled up and Ridge said "oh good its here already" and Ridge said

They all went outside except for Lisa to see what it was The driver was instructed to pull around the back of the house

Just then Ethan came running in "Uncle Thorne and Uncle Ridge and Grandpa got us a surprise mama They said because they missed so many of our birthdays they had to get us something"

"What is it" Lisa Asked

"its an above ground pool the pool kit says its a 24' x 12' x 52" Ultra Frame Rectangular Swimming Pool" Matt said as he came in "and Wal-Mart will set it up for us it should be ready in a day or two for swimming"

Her brothers their family and Kristen spent another week with them and enjoyed the pool with them when it was set and ready to go The Camdens went home before the weekend but promised they would be back soon


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

**Time marches on**

Over the next few weeks and months everyone settled into a routine. Bright eyes was successfully studded and would deliver sometime the middle of next June so all in all things were going well. Lisa was beginning her second trimester her due date was March 5th. She was about 13 weeks along. Becky was due September 12th and Hannah was due November 7th. They had already had a baby shower for Becky in the beginning of August.

It was the end of August and the kids were getting ready to go back to School. It was almost Labor day weekend. Labor day was September 3rd and All of the Camdens minus Mary, Carlos and the kids, were coming in for Labor day weekend They were thankful that Sandy Jamieson Sanderson the associate pastor of Glen Oak community church was handling the sermon that weekend so it made it possible for Eric to be in Truckee the entire Holiday weekend. They were going to drive the 8 hours it took to get up there and they would be there on August 30th. Some of Lisa's family said they would try but New York fashion week was fast approaching and Forester Fashions was having a big show in Bryant park in September and they didn't know if they could get away or not

Over the summer an addition was added to the house next to Lisa's office. It was a doctors office. If needed Matt could practice from home, so he would have more availability to work on the ranch when needed he would be able to. Lisa had been glad she was able to use more of the inheritance she got from her grandparents to do this for Matt, anyway she liked keeping him close to home after not having him in her life for so long The office was fully equipped just like the office in town with all the most up to date technology Matt would need.

Matt was working from home today The kids along with Guthrie were doing chores and Brian and Crane were taking care of the cattle making sure the new calf were weaned from their mothers Lisa was with the Vet who was immunizing the animals that needed it and then he was going to check on Bright eyes Lisa left the Vet to finish his work and walked back to the house She needed to make lunch and finish getting the house ready for the Matt's Family that would be here tomorrow she was also happy that Thorne and Macy and Chase were able to come, since he handled more of the Marketing end of the family business it wasn't as important that he be there in New York like Ridge who had to be because he was the lead designer. She went into the kitchen to make a couple of pitchers of sweat tea and enough sandwiches for everyone, She heard Becky in with Matt he must still be seeing her for her prenatal appointment. Lisa had just finished with the lunch preparation when she heard Matt's office door open. They were still talking as they exited the office.

"Since you have dropped and your cervix is thinning I don't think you will make it to September 12th" Matt told her,

"I hope not I feel as if the baby is already between my legs as it is I am carrying so low now" Becky complained

Matt walked in the kitchen "Hi sweetie I see lunch is ready want me to call everyone in in the Walkie talkie"

"Sure that would be a great help "

Matt contacted Brian on the Walkie talkie and Brian rounded up Crane and the kids and they all came in for lunch when they were done Crane went back to his house with Becky to make sure she got some much needed rest

Everyone but Matt and Lisa left the main house to go back to whatever they were doing before lunch. Matt was headed back to his office he didn't have another patient for another hour or so but wanted to get caught up on some patients charts

"Are you busy Mattie?" Lisa asked

"No not really. I was just going to do some paper work but it can wait"

"I know it is a bit early my pregnancy but I was wondering if you would do an ultrasound, I just have a funny feeling"

"Are you feeling ok? Your not having any pain are you?" he said with a concerned tone in his voice

"No I am fine I just feel like I am bigger than I should be, It was the same when I was pregnant before, If I am carrying more than one baby I think at 13 weeks you would be able to tell in an ultrasound right?" she asked

"It has crossed my mind given your size that you could be carrying twins again but I didn't want to say anything in case I was wrong I wanted to wait a few weeks. As you know twins run my family what with My dad's father the Colonel he had a twin who had been killed in action before even my dad was born, Then there is Sam and David and then Mary's girls Chrissy and Jenny and of course Ethan and Emma, So sure come on lets get you set up in the exam room so we can see"

"Please don't make me where that paper johnnie Lisa pleaded I will just lift my shirt"

"Well just strip from the waist down" He asked

"Are you going to do an internal exam or internal ultrasound?" she asked

"No I just like the view" he laughed

"We can play later just keep your mind on the task at hand" she chided him

"Oh alright I will behave"

Lisa layback on the exam table and Matt pulled out the ultrasound equipment. Lisa lifted her shirt and pushed the waist of her pants down from her belly. Matt squirted some KY on her belly. He turned the monitor towards Lisa and proceeded with an ultrasound His extremely happy expression on his face turned to concern as he moved the Doppler probe to the lower part of her belly

"Mattie I can see by the expression on your face something is wrong. What is it, is the baby ok?" she said as she started to sob

He looked at her "Shhh its ok sweetie don't cry it will be ok I promise"

"What will be ok" she ask

"Well I have to spend some more time and I do need to do an internal exam. Good news is It looks like you are right almost right you are carrying more than one but its not twins Well two of them are Identical this time not fraternal. But there is a third a baby I am assuming you want to know the gender if I can see it" She nodded yes "Girls" are the twins and the third is a boy"

"I am so Overwhelmed Triplets and I thought going through a twin pregnancy was hard enough. No wonder I am so big" she said with a note of concern "Is that what had you concerned is that the bad news Mattie? Is that what caused your expression to change so drastically to that very concerned look you had on your face"

" You have uterine fibroids Did you always have uterine fibroids I mean did you have them the last pregnancy?"

"No not that I know of, I have never had any pain well except for the normal period cramps"

"Well you have a couple now and they are pretty low but they are big enough for me to keep an eye on them, I will need to monitor you more closely with ultrasound much more frequently to see how much they are growing Pregnancy hormones as you know can make that happen"

"What else aren't you saying Mattie?"

"It is kind of early to tell but from the position the fibroids are in you will more than likely need a C-Section and probably as early as January you will more than likely need to be on bed rest"

"Well that doesn't make me happy but the babies are ok though right?"

"Yes Sweetie our babies are fine" I can't believe we are having triplets"

Matt had her undress from the waist down and did an internal exam on her. he spent about 15 minutes examining her and trying to keep her calm because the more he examined her the more distressed she became thinking he wasn't telling her something He finished up and helped her get dressed again

"Everything seems to be fine I was just being thorough ok. Will you relax"

"I don't want to say anything yet about the fibroids ok. Telling everyone tomorrow about the triplets is fine but the other isn't necessary"

"Ok but why" he asked

"People wont let any of us pregnant gals do anything as it is I tell anyone yet this info I wont be allowed to even walk around the ranch with out someone saying anything so please Mattie not a word OK Although when they here triplets they will probably be that way anyway"

"Ok fine but only for now and again no overdoing it ok"

"Ok I promise. Well I better see if the vet is still here and make sure he completed all of the livestock immunizations She said as she kissed him

Matt went back to with his paper work. Some time later Lisa was back in her office updating records and then paying some bills. after a hour or so she went to make dinner. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful as they prepared the house for the family to invade them tomorrow night

**The Next day Aug 30th**

The phone rang at about 7:30 Every one had already been up for a couple of hours Lisa answered the phone it was Thorne telling her that they would be in on Friday instead of Today Ridge ,Brook Bridget and her dad would only be able to come in for Sunday and Monday but at least they would be able to make it.

"That was Thorne she told Matt They will be in tomorrow but Ridge and his family plus dad will be here Sunday and Monday isn't that great"

"it sure is," then he looked at the clock "My family is probably driving up by now too they said they had a surprise for me any idea what it is?"

"Yes but I am not saying. You will have to wait until they get here"

Annie had wanted Matt to have the car Lisa had bought him restored. It was going to be sort of a belated wedding gift. the car had been damaged by Simon some years ago when he went out drinking and driving and had been sitting in the Camdens garage since then. With Lisa's financial help it was restored to the same condition it was in when Lisa originally gave it to him on his 17th Birthday.

Matt got dressed and today was going into town to the clinic since he wasn't needed to do any work on the ranch, He knew once the kids went back to school he would be working at home more often since the kids were not there to pick up the slack, Even though There was Brian and Crane and the rest of the McFaddens Crane would soon have his hands full with the new baby and in a few more months so would Adam. Matt headed into town as planned

Lisa Got a call after Lunch from Annie "We should be in the area with in an hour Where is Matt?"

"He is in the clinic in town"

"Good I am in Matt's Old car following Eric with Sam and David in our Van and we will drive straight to the ranch. Simon, Cecelia and Ruthie will go to Kevin and Lucy's to unpack and later they will be over so we can reveal the surprise to Matt . We left before Simon did so he doesn't know about the car either. If too many people knew there was a chance that the surprise would be wrecked"

"Well we can put it car in the barn closest to the house and then shut the door and lock it. He would have no reason to go in there when he first gets home The kids have no idea either and everyone is way out in the north pasture with the new calves. Oh and I redid the paperwork so it is completely registered just to Matt again with the insurance in well both our names incase I ever needed to drive it. You will have to put on the new vanity license plate I got for him"

"That's great What does it say"

"Doc Matt spelled out Capital DOC Space MATT isn't that great " Lisa asked

Yeah it is" Annie replied

Her in-laws arrived about 2:30 and Lisa got in the car with a bag with the License plate and new registration and told Annie where to a park it in the barn.

"Oh wow this looks better than when I bought it. Hey you put a new radio in with a CD player also equipped with siriusxm satellite radio this is awesome he will be so happy"

Lisa put the registration in the glove box while Annie grabbed the bags with the vanity plates and put them on the car. They put a car cover over the car and then went out and they closed the barn doors and Locked it for the time being. Eric Sam and David were waiting patiently for them to come back over to the house

"You didn't have to wait outside you know you could have gone in Lisa laughed She reminded Sam and David not to say anything about the car to anyone even Emma and Ethan" and they agreed

Lisa called on the Walkie talkie to Ethan

"Ethan are you there...over"

"Sure mama what's up...over"

Your grandparents and Sam and David are here I thought you and Emma would want to come back to the ranch and get them...over"

"Sure mama Me and Emma will ride back and be there soon... Over and out."

Emma and Ethan were back with in 10 minutes to get Sam and David Eric helped them each on one of the horses with either Emma or Ethan and then they rode back to where they were with the Cattle with Uncle Crane and Uncle Daniel. Lisa showed Annie and Eric the new addition of Matts office

"Wow this is great and it was completed so quickly" Eric said

"Mattie loves it , he loves being so close to home on the days he works here" Lisa told them

Annie and Eric helped Lisa prepare dinner Matt called about 4:30 to let her know that he would be home in roughly 45 minutes About 10 minutes later two cars pulled up one with Kevin, Lucy and the kids , the other with Simon Cecelia and Ruthie Lisa called the kids on the Walkie talkie and told them to head back Ethan mentioned that he Becky and Daniel were actually going to the Circle 7 ranch to eat tonight but Becky and Crane would be back early enough so he could help close up the ranch for the night.

The kids got back a little while later and put the horses in the stable. then came in and got washed up and then helped keep Savannah occupied and Emma sat and helped aunt Lucy with Nathaniel Eric, Simon and Kevin were setting up the picnic tables and setting the plates out and Lisa and Annie was busy getting all the food ready and the meat to go on the grill when Mattie got back Mattie got back a little closer to 5 pm

"Sorry I ran later than expected Let me wash up and I will put the steaks on the grill," he washed up and took the platter of meat from his wife gave her a quick kiss and went out back to the grill.

Lisa put the desert, the Strawberry shortcake in the refrigerator for the time being and went out with more food to the back. Cecelia brought out several pitchers with sweet tea and lemonade They all sat to eat In the middle of the meal Simon got up and stood next to Cecelia

'Uhm we have an announcement to make" Simon said "As you know we got back together 7 months ago"

"And we have never been happier "Cecelia added "Simon asked me to marry him and I said yes and she held up her left hand to show off her engagement ring"

Everyone congratulated the couple Cecelia told them that she had already told her parents and her adopted sisters and brother before they left to drive up here and they were thrilled. They all sat down and finished eating and Lisa and Matt went into the house to get the desert'

"hey I thought my family said they had a surprise for me" Matt said

Lisa giggled. "I have no idea what you are talking about Dr Camden"

"Yeah sure you don't" he grabbed her and started to kiss her neck "Come on tell me please" he pleaded as he subtly tried to seduce her into telling him

"She wiggled away from him "as much as I am enjoying your attention they are all waiting for desert" she said as she went into the refrigerator to get it , "Grab the desert plates please. Hey when we are sitting to eat. I think we should make the announcement about the Triplets" Matt nodded in agreement and they headed back outside

The desert was put on the table and everyone was served and they were all eating and chatting. Lisa had put on the CD player and had turned it to an enjoyable level.

Matt put down his fork and got up turned the music down then went over and knelt beside Lisa "Now?" She nodded yes "Simon and Cecelia are not the only ones with an announcement to make."

"We had some concerns so Mattie performed an ultrasound yesterday which confirmed our suspicion...I am pregnant with more than one baby, triplets this time two girls one boy

Everyone congratulated them. Emma and Ethan were so happy and Ethan didn't seem to mind that there would be so many babies at least one of them was a boy so he wouldn't be out numbered in a houseful of girls. But then again if he had been out numbered he would have Guthrie who was like a brother to him anyway. Matt was helping clean up but looked a little distracted an fidgety

Annie asked Lisa "What's going on with Matt why is he so fidgety that's not like him?"

"Well earlier when we were in the kitchen getting desert he cornered me and tried to get me to tell what the surprise was" I wouldn't budge I am good with secrets" Lisa turned the CD player up again and continued to talk to Annie

Annie replied "Oh I figured as much, lets sneak off and go get the car"

While no one was looking Lisa and Annie went in the back door through the house and out the front door and down the dirt driveway to the barn. Lisa Unlocked the barn and they opened the door. They took the car cover off and put it in the trunk Annie climbed in the driver side and Lisa got in the passenger side and the car was started and they backed out of the barn.

"Let's drive it around the back of the house I can't wait until Mattie sees this again" Lisa said

"The last time he saw this car it was a wreck sitting in the Garage he will be in shock and I think he will love the vanity plates "Anne said

She called Eric on the Cell " Eric answered "Don't say anything Eric just listen Lisa and I are going to drive around the back Get Matt's attention and have him look at the corner of the house toward the barn Tell him his surprise is coming I will Listen and when I hear you tell him we will drive around the Corner Ok"

"OK" Eric Said "Hey Matt come over her and Everyone pay attention"

"Yeah dad what's up Matt asked "

Just keep watching over there by the corner of the house , your mom told you we had a surprise for you and Yes Lisa was in on it too." Then he went back to the phone" Go Ahead Annie"

And around the corner they drove the care. It only took a couple of seconds for it to register in Matts head that this was the car Lisa had given him when he was 17

"Oh my freakin God I don't believe it" Annie hopped out so he could get in He hugged his mom and then when he got in the car he kissed his wife, Then he said to his mom "Lisa and I will be back in a bit I want to take this out for a spin.

They drove around the area for a good half hour then they drove to Circle 7 and honked the horn and everyone came barreling out of the house,

"Wow this car is sweet" Adam said

"Can you pop the hood" Brian asked

Matt got out and they all looked at the engine.

"Hey I like your License Plate" Adam said

"Oh" I hadn't noticed" he looked at it "Wow that's cool"

"Oh by the way we have some new Lisa is pregnant with... triplets so MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T do any hard manual labor of any kind" Matt said

"Triplets holy crap" Brian said

"Ok we will make sure she behaves herself when you are not around" Crane said

The didn't stay too long because they had to get back to the houseful of guests that were waiting for them back at the ranch. They got back to the ranch a short time later, they parked and he turned to Lisa

"Have I told you just how much I love you" he said as he kissed her

Then they went into the house and found that not only had his family cleaned everything up for the night. Emma and Ethan had Uncle Kevin and Uncle Simon help them with shutting down the ranch for the night. Kevin Lucy and the kids and Simon Cecelia and Ruthie stayed for another hour before They all headed back to Kevin and Lucy's Place. Annie and Lisa helped the kids get ready for bed. and then around 9 the adults headed for bed

The next day Thorne, Macy and Chase arrived a little after 1 pm and had a wonderful time with them Lisa made sure to tell them about the triplets. For the next two days it was just general enjoyment with the Family Early Sunday Morning September 2nd Lisa's father Eric F, Ridge, Brooke and Bridge arrive before church. and they had their suitcases brought up to the bedroom before they headed out Lisa told them about her being pregnant with triplets and they couldn't have been happier for them When every thing was settle headed to church for 10:30 When they got home they began all the preparation for the enormous family cookout they would have tomorrow The Camdens Kinkirks Foresters and Mcfaddens would have one heck of a celebration and they wanted everything to be perfect. All the men were out side doing something or other Matt was out on the North ridge with Crane and Brian, they were out there most of the day

Annie mentioned that she had hoped to get the Sam and David's hair cut before school but forgot and now she would have to wait until the day after school Macy said the same thing about Chase

"Not a problem I was going to cut Ethan's hair anyway get the boys and line them up"

Lisa sent Ethan to get the cape and clippers, by the end of the afternoon all the boys had haircuts to go back to school they day continued long into the night and they were all up incredibly late

**Labor Day**

Lisa got up early as she always did Matt was still sound asleep But she figured she would let him sleep everyone had been awake late last night including the kids "_ I am going to at least go get the eggs and then the kids can get the milk and take care of the livestock_" she though to herself

She went and cleaned out the coop and fed the chickens Matt was asleep so no one would know. Then she collected the eggs and came in the house with them Since it was almost 5:30 she knew the kids needed to be up to a least milk the cows and muck out the from the horses and the cows. She went up to the kids bedrooms first to Emma's she went to wake her up she gave Lisa a hard time which was unusual for her,

"Well I will try Ethan he is usually easier to get up anyway" she said out loud She went into his room and shook him trying to wake him up " Come on Ethan you have to get up the cows needed to be milked,"

Non of the boys wanted to get up "_Maybe Matt can get them up_" she thought to herself she went into her bedroom he was still asleep Hey Mattie it 5:45 rise and shine He just groaned "Come on you need to get the kids up for me they are giving me a hard time"

"Come back to bed its a holiday" he said as he tried to grab her hand and pull her back to bed

"Forget it there is work to be done" she said as she opened the window

He didn't get up so she went back downstairs grabbed the pails and went to milk the cows a 45 minutes later she was done with that job and lifted the heavy pails and put them in the cooler. She then mucked out were the cows were and then headed to the stables for the horses. She had just started the Job when Crane and Brian showed up.

"Have you completely lost your mind?" Crane said to her as he yanked the rake out of her hand

"Ya what the Hell are you doing and why isn't someone else out here doing this?" Brian said

'Well someone needed to do it and I tried to get them all up including Matt no one would move everyone was up late last night and I guess 5:30 is too early for them" she said sarcastically "and the chores really can't wait I already milked the cows and put the pails in the cooler" she said as she sat down and took a towel to wipe the sweat of her face

"Well Crane will get the pails back to the house and I will finish Mucking out the stalls" Brian said

Lisa walked with Crane over to the cooler and she went to grab a full pail " No way I will carry them" he said

They walked in silence to the house Crane was so upset that she had been out doing chore which women who going through a normal pregnancy should be doing but in Lisa's case she was now considered high risk because it was a triplet pregnancy

They were almost to the house when Crane spoke " I am so upset with you, Do you know how dangerous it was for you to be doing such hard labor. "Matt will be furious"

"Well if Matt or my kids for that matter actually cared about they would have been up doing the chores, They know I never let it go,"

" Then you should have called me I would have either came over and dumped the mattresses or just done it myself. You have to promise me you wont take that kind of chance again, I want you to lay down and put your feet up. You already look exhausted"

"I still have to get cleaned up and make breakfast, before I can rest"

"I will get Matt's Lazy butt up he can do it" Crane said

"Please don't call him lazy he isn't you know he works very hard at both being a doctor and learning to do things around here" Lisa said

They went in the house and Crane put the milk in there proper containers and then put them in the refrigerator. Lisa Started to get stuff out for breakfast, he wouldn't let her do anything he led her to the couch and made her laydown and he put a pillow under her feet. He looked at the clock It was almost 7 am he went upstairs first to Emma's room he flipped on the lights and opened the shades so Emma and Bridget would get up

"Rise and shine" Crane said they both groaned and Emma put the pillow over her head. Crane was angry he wouldn't Flip over Bridget's mattress because she was a guest but Emma knew better so with a quick grab of the mattress he flipped it over.

"Hey why did you do that Uncle Crane, Emma whined"

"I wasn't kidding when I said up. You have 5 minutes to be downstairs" he told her

He went to Ethan's room where Ethan, Chase, Sam and David were all sleeping He opened the shades

"Time to get up boys" The only one who moved was Chase then he said it again and he got some groans from Sam and David so he shook Ethan

"Do we have to get up we were up soooo late last night Uncle Crane" Ethan complained and rolled over on his side toward the wall

This made Crane even madder he grabbed Ethan's mattress and flipped him out of bed too. When Ethan hit the floor he told all of them "you all have 5 minutes to be downstairs"

Crane then went to the master bedroom and knocked no answer he went in the room Matt was still asleep, the shades and windows were open but Matt lay there with a pillow over his face He went and shook Matt "ok rise and rise you need to get up too, don't make me do to you what I did to your kids"

"Hey" Matt said "What time is it?"

"A little after 7 So get your lazy butt up"

"What did you mean when you said don't make me do to you what I did to your kids" Matt asked

"They wouldn't get up when Lisa went to get them up and they didn't want to get up for me so I flipped their mattress over that got them up"

"God I can't believe how groggy I am. We stayed up way to late last night I need a shower then I will be down"

"You better make it a quick one you need to make breakfast I had Lisa lay down on the couch and not move I am hoping she is listening to me"

"Why don't you want her making breakfast?... Oh god is something wrong?"

"Well given the fact that she is over 4 months pregnant with triplets and was out doing ALL THE MORNING CHORES BY HERSELF and is covered in sweat, Yeah I say there is something wrong"

What do you mean ALL the chores" What time was she up and just what was she was doing he said as he threw his clothes on and went towards the door."

"Oh everything. She had already cleaned out the chicken coop fed the chickens gathered the eggs Then came in again to wake every one up when no one moved she went out again she milked the cows and lifted the heavy pails in the cooler then fed them then mucked out those stalls then went to the horse stables. She was just starting with the horses when Brian and I got there we of course stopped her. She is already exhausted "

"Holy shit, What the hell was she thinking why was she doing it?"

'Well perhaps because no one including you would get up" Crane said

"Guilty as charged. I better get the down there then to make sure she is laying down with her feet up"

Crane and Matt walked down the hall The kids were all just coming out of their rooms dressed but still groggy

"Emma, Ethan in a little while the 3 of us are going to have a talk on why you gave your mama such a hard time this morning getting up" Matt told them "although I am guilty of it too, It can never happen again Uncle Crane told me because we didn't get up you mama went and did most of the morning chores all by her self."

"But she isn't suppose to do all that is she I mean it could hurt the babies right" Emma asked

"That is exactly right" But she went ahead and did the chores anyway because none of us would get up" Matt said angrily

"Is she ok daddy" Ethan asked

"I sure hope so I will check her out shortly"

Lisa was on the couch laying down with her feet up as Crane told her too. She was mad that she had to stay there but he was right she shouldn't have been out doing heavy chores not with her being pregnant with the triplets . While she was on the couch her dad and her brothers and their wives came in They had been staying at the bunk house. and came in for breakfast.

"Good morning. What's for breakfast,? and why are you laying on the couch are you ok" Her father asked her

"She is laying on the couch because she over did it this morning and did things she shouldn't have and then Matt said as he got to the bottom of the stairs. He looked directly at Lisa "And yes Crane told me all about it You and me are going to have a serious talk but later after breakfast and I am going to examine you in my office so for now YOU STAY PUT"

Lisa closed her eyes, and thought to herself "_Matt is angry with me, but he was right I shouldn't have been taking such a risk chores didn't have to be done at the crack of dawn_ _just this once_,"

Matt went into the kitchen and started pulling things out to make breakfast and His mother Annie, Macy and Brooke walked in to help him While Eric C and Eric F went to set the table for breakfast and Ridge and Thorne went outside with all the kids to see what if anything else needed to be done before breakfast Crane went back home to check on Becky

"Let me do this, you need to talk to your wife " His mother told him Your father and I heard the conversation you and Crane had in the upstairs hallway ,you need to have a talk with her I know women can do a lot when they are pregnant even with Multiples but the kind of stuff she was doing is just to much"

"There is another issue mom that we didn't tell anyone about. Lisa has a couple of big fibroids under the babies near the cervix" and undue stress or strenuous activity can cause them to bleed or at worse go into premature labor"

"Well you go examine your wife and talk with her and we will make breakfast"

"Thanks mom I will" then he got back up to walk back over to Lisa her eyes were closed and he scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the couch

"Hey what are you doing?"

"Taking you into my office" I want examine you and we need to have a little talk"

Matt took her into the office and back into the exam room and proceeded to strip her from the waist down as she protested vehemently

"This is so unnecessary" she told him and continued to protest until she saw her panties when he took them off her there was a small stain of blood "Oh God Mattie the babies"

"I am sure it is just from the fibroids but I want to check you out anyway"

He had her scoot all the way down the exam table and put her feet in the stirrups and he inserted a speculum and checked her out. after he was done he told her so far everything looked ok there was no more bleeding and then he did another ultrasound. He determined for the moment there was no real cause for concern, but he would keep monitoring her.

"I still can't believe you risked your health and your pregnancy by doing those stupid chores. What were you thinking" he demanded

"Well if you and the kids had gotten up like you were supposed to I wouldn't have had to would I" Then she paused "Wait I am sorry I snapped at you It was stupid I was mad then and I didn't think I just reacted and took things into my own hands it is a control thing I don't want to fight"

"I am sorry too I should have gotten up and then made the kids get up" I am sorry I jumped down your throat Ok"

"We do have to talk with the kids about them giving me a hard time this morning" she told him

"Yes I have already mentioned that I needed to talk with them after breakfast" he replied

Matt helped her get dressed and they went back into the main area of the house where breakfast had been put on the table and the everyone had been called in from outside to eat.

Annie pulled Matt aside "Is everything ok?"

"For the moment yes although she did have a bit of spotting but I performed an internal exam and an ultrasound and everything checks out but Lisa is to REALLY TAKE IT EASY TODAY"

The conversation with his mother was suppose to be a private one unfortunately it was over heard by Emma, Ethan and Ridge

"Daddy what does spotting mean" Emma asked

"Is mama ok" Ethan asked

"Yes how bad is it should she go to the hospital I think at the very least she should be on Bed rest" Ridge said

"Lisa is ok Ridge I did a thorough exam on her the spotting stopped and I did an ultrasound everything checks out but because there was that bit of spotting, he looked at Emma that means your mama had a little bleeding, I want her to rest"

Emma and Ethan went to their mother "Are you really ok mama," Emma asked

"Your daddy said I am fine I just have to be careful and not over do it like I did this morning doing outside chores"

"We are sorry mama for not getting up when you asked us to We will make sure we get up extra early from now on especially starting Wednesday when school starts again"

They Hugged her and then went to go out. "Not so fast Matt said "There is the matter of a bit of punishment for giving mama and then Uncle Crane a hard time this morning and not getting up.

Ridge excused himself before Matt continued

"I thought about this and I do not want to be too severe because I am guilty of not getting up when your mama asked me too as well, So after today No extra tail riding with the horses and no hanging around with Guthrie If he comes over to work fine other than that no for a week Also this is the last day for the pool for you two"

"Ok daddy" Emma said with a pout

"Ok that's fair daddy" Ethan said

"Well go on and have your fun today because grounding starts tomorrow" Matt said and Then they ran off to hang out with the kids.

"And how about your punishment daddy, You didn't get up either you gave me a hard time too like you told the kids" Lisa teased

"Well mine is the worse punishment of all, no intercourse for a while until I am sure it is safe for you"

"Hey no fair why do I get punished, wait I guess I deserve it due to my stupidity of doing all the hard chores Do I at least get to go in the pool today?"

"Only if I go in with you to play but for now you stay put on the couch There is enough of us to get the food ready and grill up everything for the cook out today Everyone should be over here about noontime.

Crane was on the other side of the ranch back at his house getting some last minute things together for the cookout Becky was too far along with her pregnancy to be able to do anything more than sit He had been talking to her about what Lisa had done and neither of them could believe that she would do something so stupid. Then Becky got a funny look on her face

"Are you ok Becky" Crane asked

"Yeah just my back really hurts I mean REALLY Hurts" She replied

"You sit down, Do you want me to go get Matt" he asked

"No its passing I am ok now. Why don't we get everything ready and head over to the main house" They left to go over there 5 minutes later

Every one was heading to Camden's crossing to be at Matt and Lisa's by noontime Lucy,Kevin and their kids along with Simon Cecelia and Ruthie and of course all the McFaddens from Circle K. No one let Lisa lift a finger all day When she wanted to go outside in the and possibly go in the pool Matt carried her upstairs helped her get changed and he changed as well into his swimming trunks and carried her back down and put her on the lounge chair beside the pool

"So when do I get to walk again?" she said in a frustrated voice

"Maybe tomorrow if you are lucky" he replied

"I think you just like carrying me all over the place it makes you feel manly or something" She teased him

Everyone was playing games or eating or in the pool or playing basketball or eating. Becky continued to have moments when she was uncomfortable through out the day but didn't tell anyone especially Crane she didn't want to worry him, She finally decided to just sit next to Lisa and another pain hit this one was the worse one yet Lisa with her first training being a midwife knew exactly what was happening.

"Becky how long have you had the pains?" she asked her

"Off and on since this Morning but they weren't too bad until this last one" Becky answered while she was panting

"Have you been timing them Becky"

"Not really" she replied

"Well my watch had a timer on it and I just set it"

About 10 minutes later Another pain hit Becky and this time Becky felt a rush of fluid

"Becky grabbed her belly "Oh god this hurts Lisa and my water broke"

The kids were nearby and Lisa Yelled to them "GO GET DADDY AND UNCLE CRANE NOW BECKY IS IN LABOR AND HER WATER BROKE"

Matt and Crane and a few others were playing basketball and Ethan ran over to them "Daddy, Uncle Crane come quick mama said Becky is going to have the baby"

Lisa was sitting next to Becky and by this time Annie Matt's mother and Brian were at their side too

"How far apart are the contractions" Matt asked

"10 Minutes and her water broke" Lisa replied

"Let's get her back to their place. I will need supplies from my office are you up to walking around Lisa"

"Yes I am OK " We will need a tarp for the bed and some old sheets before Becky lays down on her bed"

" I will grab that" Brian said

" I will strip the bed and once the tarp is on it I will remake it with the old sheets." Annie told them

The 5 of them went about the business of getting Becky home and then Lisa went to Matt's office for supplies before she would head over there left everyone else outside to continue with whatever they were doing because they knew this may take a while and no one wanted to get in their way


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

**Becky is in Labor**

They quickly got her back to their house on the other side of the ranch. Annie ran upstairs and stripped the bed and Brian brought an old tarp to cover the mattress and then got some old sheets to make up the bed again, Lisa got all the supplies that would be needed from Matt's office and then took the car and drove to Crane and Becky's and went into the house and into their bedroom. Crane helped Becky settle into bed. and stripped her from the waist down and Matt gloved up and then checked her.

"Well you are already 5 CM dilated, Now just to be sure you really want to do a home birth I know Crane has some concerns there is no epidural at home so you will be doing full natural childbirth you know. Are you sure" Matt asked

" I am sure home birth is what I want Oh god..." Becky said as another pain ripped through her

"Just breath focus on me honey" Crane said

"Oh You breath... Oh God this hurts like Hell" she groaned out

Over the next 5-6 hours Becky's Labor progressed steadily and the pain was intense they she decided she wanted to try a water birth to Lisa brought the necessary supplies into the bathroom and out warm water into the tub After the latest contraction Matt checked Becky and found that she was already 8 CM dilated. Crane helped Becky into the bathroom and into the Tub. Another hour went by and Becky was ready to push.

"Ok Becky focus on Crane do as he tells you I will give him instructions ok"

"Ok" she said

Matt gave Crane instructions when the next contraction came

"Ok honey" Crane said take a deep breath and blow it out then again now a third and hold it and push 1,2,3,4,5... "she pushed as he counted she repeated this process for 20 minutes as the little head emerged "ok don't push just blow out they have to get the chord ok here comes the shoulders Ok one more push honey" and out came the baby

"Reach down and grab your baby" Matt said

As Becky held the baby Matt suctioned its mouth and nose out and massaged the back a little and then they heard a cry they moved the baby a little to see that is was a boy. Crane cut the chord After letting Crane and Becky hold him Lisa took the baby from them to get him dried off and weighed

"He is good and healthy and since you are hearing him cry he has a good set of lungs Lisa said as she weighed him 7lbs 13 oz. born at 11:21 pm. Do you have a name for him?"

"Yes" Crane said "William Douglas McFadden after both our dad's that passed away I guess we will call him Billy just like dad"

Matt delivered the placenta and then once everything checked out Crane drained the tub and put clean water in to clean Becky up Once they were done he helped her out had her put clean underwear with a large Pad on and get dressed and get back into a now clean bed Lisa put baby Billy into Becky's arms and Becky thought she would give nursing him a try.

Annie and Brian had left in the car they came in to go back to the main house Brian had told Lisa that he would make sure one or two of his Brothers was as the ranch by 5:30 to help with Chores Lisa was happily relieved.

Lisa finished cleaning up the bathroom and putting supplies away and then put the bassinet next to the bed for Becky Then Lisa sat in the big chair in the corner of the room and closed her eyes. Matt looked at her. She was clearly exhausted and no wonder if she had been up since before sun up. He walked over to her and knelt beside her.

"Are you ok sweetie, you look exhausted." Matt said

" I am. I have been up since about 4:30 I don't even think I can stand anymore"

"That's ok I will carry you and take you to bed. Just give me a couple minutes"

Matt checked on Becky and the baby and since everything was ok for the time being he told Crane he was taking Lisa home but his cell phone would be on and right next to him all night incase Becky or the baby needed anything. Crane was fine with being left to care for Becky and the baby

Matt left Lisa to put all the supplies on the car and came back to find Lisa asleep in the chair Matt lifted Lisa gently so as not to wake her and Crane opened the door for him and then opened the passenger door so Matt could put her down. He drove to the house and Ridge and Thorne were on the porch when he got there, He parked and carried Lisa into the house and upstairs, He carried her upstairs and partially undressed her. She groaned slightly but never really woke up. When he was done he pulled the covers over her and kissed her on the forehead and went back downstairs to check on things

"All the McFaddens went home around 8:30 to make sure Circle 7 was shut down for the night, then after Brian dropped Your mom off he went home too. She and your dad went to bed only a short time ago Brooke, Macy and our dad went to the bunk house around 10,The kids had been to bed early They knew they had to be up early for chores in the morning so they were in at 8:30. So its just me and Thorne up" Ridge said

"So Becky had a boy and they named him after uncle Billy that's great"

"He is so cute too wait until you see him, I tell you this is the best part of my job" Matt said

"So how is Sissy is she ok, I take it she was exhausted" Thorne said

"Yes she is I am going to make her stay in bed at least until noon tomorrow" Matt told them

"Good luck with that" Ridge said

"I will help where I can I am going to stay until the end of the week and I think dad will too, But Ridge, Brooke, Bridget, Macy and Chase will leave tomorrow. Ridge has to go because they have to get the clothing line finished for New York fashion week, the kids have to go because school starts Wednesday" Thorne told him

"Hey Matt since it is so late do you mind if Thorne and I crash on the couches instead of going back to the Bunk house?" Ridge asked

"No Problem I will get you some pillows and blankets I will be right back" Matt said

A few minutes later he was back with the bedding for them Then he made sure the house was locked up and went to bed for the night making sure his cell phone was on and next to the bed incase Crane needed him. He undressed and washed up in the bathroom and then lay down next to Lisa and she snuggled close to him as soon as he lay down and he drifted off to sleep.

**Tuesday the day before school starts**

The alarm clock went off at 5 and a groggy Matt sat up to shut it off. He moved quietly out of bed so as not to wake up his sweet wife, He went into the bathroom and washed up enough and then threw some clothes on. He went into Ethan's room first

"Time to get up Ethan Matt said "I want you downstairs in 10 minutes I am going to wake your sister up now"

"OK daddy" Ethan said with a yawn

He went in to Emma's room to find that both girls were already up and dressed.

"Good morning daddy" Emma said

"Hi Uncle Matt" Bridget said

"Good morning girls glad to see you are up are you ready to do some work."

"Yup we are" Emma said Did aunt Becky have the baby?"

"Yes she did. A little boy they named William. They will call him Billy" Matt said

"Can we go see him later?"

"Well we will see if Becky is up to company, But I am sure a quick look will be ok as long as it is ok with Uncle Crane and Aunt Becky. Now I want you to be quiet as you go down stairs and tell that to the boys too, your mama was really tired last night she needs her rest."

"We will daddy, and we will be down in a couple of minutes.

The kids went down stairs Daniel and Ford were at the house by 5:30 as promised to help and morning chores were all completed by 7 am and Breakfast was done about that time too Everyone except Lisa was up and eating breakfast by 7:30 after everyone was done eating Matt brought a breakfast tray up to Lisa. He went in the room and set the tray down on the dresser and went to the bed and sat on the edge, leaned over and kissed her cheek and gently shook her.

"Hey baby do you want to wake up and eat"

"Uhm yeah" she said in a sleepy voice but let me get up and go to the bathroom first" she got up and did her business and rinsed her morning mouth out and ran a brush through her tangled hair. and then went back to sit back on the bed. he put the tray in front of her.

"What time is it?" she asked

"Almost 8 am" he replied

"Wow, I had better eat and then get washed up and get dressed its late"

"You do not have to get up everything is taken care of as we promised, You are to relax today" Matt made sure to emphasize she was to take it easy today

"I didn't mean I wanted to get up to work, the spotting yesterday scared me enough, its just that your family and mine are going to be leaving today and I want to spend time with them before they leave I know the plane is suppose to leave around noon, and your family has an 8 hour drive so they will want to get started around noon too I would expect"

"Ok you can visit with everyone, They are all downstairs anyway including Everyone from Kevin and Lucy's"

Lisa was done and washed and dressed by 8:30

Matt had called Dr Willoughby to cover this morning and he would see patients at home today in the afternoon, explaining he was up late delivering Becky's baby

They all spent the whole morning together but by 10:30 Ridge and the rest of them headed over to see Becky and the baby before they headed to the airport , Thorne and their dad was going with them to see them off but would be back as soon as the plane left. so they said their goodbyes The Camden clan went to see the new baby too and then they left as expected by noon, so the house was relatively quiet after that. Matt took the kids to see Becky and the baby too while Lisa rested He wanted to do an exam on them as well.

The rest of the day was uneventful Matt saw patients the kids did chores and after dinner they got all their things ready for school They each had brand new outfits for the first day of school they shut down the ranch and everyone went to bed early

**First day back to school**

The kids got up very early to make sure they had their chores done before school They were even up an hour before Matt. The kids had already brought in the eggs an cleaned the coop and fed the chickens then they went back to milk the cows and were bringing the pails in as Matt was walking downstairs at 5:30

"Wow you guys are up early" He said as he kissed them good morning,

"We have to be first day of school Emma said bus well be here around 7:30

"Here daddy can you out the milk in the proper containers while we go muck out the horse and cow stalls Uncle Crane is already out there anyway," Ethan said.

Sure and I will make breakfast I am going to let mama sleep until 6:30 which is when I want you back for breakfast and to get showered and dressed for school ok so keep an eye on the time. Matt took care of the milk then went to take a shower but held off on the shaving he was done and downstairs had was starting breakfast when they got in the house.

"Go up and take your showers and get dressed for school and then bring your back packs down here when you are done, By the way do you buy lunch or bring it,?" he asked

"Mama usually makes something really good our first day back, she really likes to want us to wake her up," Emma asked

"I'll go do it" Matt told them as he followed them up the stairs

The kids went to get ready for school Matt went to wake Lisa.

"Good morning honey" he said as he nudged her awake, "Its 6:30 do you want to get up before the kids leave in an hour"

"Oh yes I have to make them lunches and get them breakfast" she said as she bolted up

"Relax we have time, If you are up to getting up that's ok but take it slow You make the lunches I will make breakfast I am going down to do that now" Matt told her

"Ok I am going to wash my face and throw something on for now then come downstairs, then after they leave get showered" I will be down in a few minutes

Every one was downstairs by 6:45 and Matt had breakfast on the table Lisa's dad and brother Thorne were up for breakfast by this time too Lisa stood and ate while she prepared them lunches She had made some home made cookies the day before and then cut up fruit and made sandwiches and put A couple waters and a juice box in each of their lunch bags and they put it in their backpacks then she sat and finished breakfast.

"Lisa you would be impressed they were up way before me this morning they had the chicken coop done and eggs collected and the cows milked all before I even got up"

"Good job guys"

The bus was there a little after 7:30 it had already picked up Ford and Guthrie. Lisa's dad and Thorne decided to spend the morning helping on the ranch and went to meet Crane at the stables Then the house was quiet.

"Are you working here or in town today." Lisa asked

"Here, I want to stay close because of Becky Plus this is your first day with out the kids I thought I would help out around the ranch in between patients my first one is at 9:30"

"Oh so we have some time" she said as she winked at him

"I am not sure if we should honey remember you were spotting on Labor Day I want to make sure you have at least a week without any more of that before we do anything,"

"Well there are other things we can do you know"

"Oh ok" we can do other things he said

Matt and Lisa made their way to the bedroom Matt was almost completely naked by the time they got to the room. Lisa shut the door behind her and he quickly undressed her. He was extremely aroused and he pushed her back on the bed. They took turns pleasuring on another she went first teasing him and then very quickly bringing him to release. Then it was his turn to please her he took his time slowly. She noticed his scruffy face tickled her and gave her an enormous amount of pleasure. He took her over the edge of ecstasy.

When they were done they headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Matt noticed she was looking at him kind of funny "What" he said

"You need a hair cut Mattie really bad," she said "But leave the scruffiness on your face has its benefits" she giggled "plus it looks good on you"

"You want me to cut my hair, but I have kept it this length for a long time" he complained

"Do you remember you cut it for me just after you turned 17" she asked

"I do it was awful short then"

"I want to cut it this time and she said Much shorter than when you were 17 I think it will look great on you and make you look very sexy"

"Shorter are you kidding?" he said as he sat there a moment "I will let you cut it if you tell me why me having a scruffy face has its benefits

"Well I noticed something back in the bedroom when you had your mouth on me pleasuring me. the scruffy face tickles and feels really good. So since I told you now you have to let me cut your hair"

He reluctantly complied he sat on the chair in the bathroom and Lisa put the cape around his neck and pulled out the clippers and put the 3 inch attachment on it

"Are you sure you know what you are doing?" He asked

"Who do you think gave Ethan, Sam David and Chase the haircuts for school"

"You did? I didn't realize that was you. Well since you didn't seem to mess them up go ahead"

"Gee thanks for the vote of confidence" she said sarcastically"

She made him turn his back towards the mirror. Then she used the 3 inch attachment along the sides and back of his head and used 4 inch along the top and then took the attachment off for the nap of his neck and to trim near his sideburns. When she was done she let him turn around to see. It was short a little shorter than he wore it to Lucy's wedding.

"Holy crap that's short, boy this will take a bit to get used too" he said as he took the cape off and shook it on the floor.

He grabbed a broom and pan to collect his hair. He didn't want Lisa to have to do it When he was done they both hopped in the shower. They got out and she wrapped her hair in a towel and they both wrapped then they dried each other off. He did shave a little leaving above his lip untouched and his chin area untouched just taking some off the sides of his face She gelled the top of his hair.

"You look perfect" she told him.

They both dressed and then he grabbed the blow dryer and dried her hair and had her pull it off her face with clips but not in a braid he liked the curls going down her back.

It was a little after 9 and Matt headed to into his office Lisa did the things she needed to do and by lunch time Matt was in the kitchen helping Lisa Her dad and brother were back by then and took one look at Matt

And Thorne said " Who are you and what have you done with Matt Camden

Eric F and Thorne laughed

"Alright knock it off you guys, blame Lisa she did this to me it was her idea"

"Matt you look absolutely beautiful" Eric F said

"Absolutely metro sexual" Thorne crooked out another laugh

"What the Hell does metro sexual mean? Matt asked kind of annoyed

" Oh leave him alone" Lisa chided Matt Metro sexual only means a heterosexual, usually urban male who pays much attention to his personal appearance and cultivates an upscale lifestyle. They are teasing you"

"It really does look good Matt, we just have never ever seen you with short hair." Thorne told him

The rest of the next few days went that way everyone who saw Matt was shocked with the short hair but everyone seemed to like it

The next couple of Months were routine and uneventful until The end of October rolled around They celebrated Halloween and then it was the beginning of November

The Middle of the night November 2nd the phone rang it was Adam Hannah had gone into labor,


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

**Hannah is in labor**

"Who was that Mattie?" Lisa said as she glanced at the clock it was after midnight

"That was Adam, Hannah has gone into labor and since the baby was still breech 2 days ago I told him to take her to the Tahoe Forest Hospital and I would meet him there," Matt said as he quickly threw on some clothes and headed to the hospital

Matt was at the hospital with in 45 minutes and in to see Hannah he rechecked the baby and the baby was still in complete breech position

"Yup you will definitely need a C-section Hannah when was the last time you ate?" Matt asked

"About 6 pm I think so about 7 hours ago" Hannah replied

"Well the staff is going to get you prepped and you should have your baby with in the next hour and looked at Adam are you ready daddy"

"Yup ready for Number 2"

Hannah was given some medication and prepped for surgery and then wheeled in to the operating room While Matt Scrubbed up She was given an epidural an IV and Adam was given his own scrubs a hair covering and mask and when Hannah was properly finished and draped he was led in the OR and given a seat next to his wife the surgical team including Matt came in the OR

"It looks like we are ready to get this show on the road Matt said as he tested her to make sure she was numb before making the incision as Matt Cut deeper he opened Hannah's Uterus and reached in and had the baby out in 10 minutes. Adam and Hannah had chosen not to know the sex of the baby.

"Well congratulations mama and daddy you have another baby girl" Matt told them

Adam Kissed Hannah and wiped the tears off her face she was born at 3:14 am November 2nd The baby was brought over to the warming bassinet to be cleaned and weighed and warmed and examined Adam left his wife's side to go look at his new daughter

"Oh Hannah she is beautiful she looks just like Allie" Adam exclaim

The nurse weighed her and she was 8 lbs. 3 oz. and had a healthy set of Lungs

"What's her name" Matt asked

Hannah replied "Kayla Elizabeth McFadden"

When they were done examining Kayla she was swaddled and handed off to Adam who brought her over so Hannah could see her Hannah kissed her daughter and started to cry The nurse took her and put her in an isolette and Adam had a daddy band put on his wrist and Hannah had a mama band put on her wrist then then baby was wheeled down to the nursery and Adam followed them The rest of the surgery took an additional 45 minutes for the delivery of the placenta and suturing of the incisions and then Hannah was wheeled into recovery.

She was back in her room an hour later and shortly thereafter the baby was wheeled in.

After Matt checked out Hannah once more he headed home to make sure the kids got up for school

Hannah had to stay for four days and she had numerous visitors over that time and she went home on the morning of the 6th

** A week later Back in Glen oak Unexpected problems Thursday November 15 a week before Thanksgiving**

**"**Sarah you have to tell Matt" Rosina told her daughter "This is his child too. You can't just put it up for adoption. How could you make this decision?"

"And It's our grandchild" Richard interrupted

"Look I was only a few weeks along when I had the abortion, you know. Since it wasn't a complete abortion I agreed like you wanted and am carrying the second baby to term like you asked since I was almost 5 months along before I figured out that I had been carrying twins, and the abortion only took one of them. You know the situation you know he has remarried and to whom, I do not want any reminder of Matt Camden I could never raise this baby. I don't want it! Once I deliver in December I will sign away my parental rights I am not discussing this any further I have to go to work" She said as she stormed out the door.

"Richard we have to do something. This isn't right and Matt needs to be told I can't believe he doesn't know" Rosina said

"I can't believe Sarah led us to believe all these months that Matt knew and just didn't want the baby, Well at least Sarah came clean and told us the truth" Richard said

"Yeah right after she told us she was putting out grandchild up for adoption" she replied

"Rosina pack some overnight bags for us" he said she was down 10 minutes later" lets go for a ride" he led her outside " Get in the car"

"Where are we going?" she asked

"The Camdens" he said "then hopefully to see Matt"

Ten Minutes later Richard and Rosina showed up at the Camdens unannounced to tell Eric and Annie and to ask for help telling Matt. They got out of the car and walked to the front door and rang the bell. Annie opened the door.

"Rosina, Richard wow this is an unexpected surprise come on in" Annie told them as she led them to the Living room "Eric Annie yelled Richard and Rosina are here"

Eric came down the stairs " Hi how are you doing? We love having you why the unexpected visit. We know the two of you. I can't believe this is just a social call"

"You are right its not. Can you close the doors so we all can talk in private" Richard said

"Sarah doesn't know we are here she will be furious when she finds out and even more when she finds out we are going to ask your help in talking to Matt" Rosina said plainly "Sarah is our daughter and we love her but she is wrong in the way she is handling things. Matt has every right to know"

"Has the right to know what?" Annie asked

"Sarah is still pregnant she is due in December and because the baby is from their marriage she doesn't want it she intends to give up the baby and never tell Matt and we think she is wrong" Richard said

"Wait a minute Matt told us Sarah had an abortion and that her action ruined any chance they had at reconciliation and it was the final straw that made their marriage end" Eric said

"She did have and abortion when she was a few weeks along, however she was carrying twins and the second child survived she didn't find out until after the divorce." Rosina finished telling them about the battle they were having with Sarah.

"We need to make arraignments to go to Truckee then I am sure Simon will come here for a day or two and help Ruthie with Sam and David Can you two get away?" Eric asked

"We actually have over night bags in the car. Did you say Truckee where is Truckee ?"

"Northern California Ranch country" Annie told then and you will need a heavier coat than what you are wearing it is probably only 45 degrees there"

Annie called Simon and told them they had a situation and had to be gone a couple of days he said that he and Cecilia would be glad to be there for the boys when they got home from school and to watch them with Ruthie while they were gone, While Annie was on the phone with Simon Eric had made 4 plane reservations and the fight would leave in 2 hours, Annie hurried to get them packed and grabbed two extra coats while she was packing They were at the airport and on the flight to Truckee within a few hours and then they landed an hour later.

"Don't you think we had better call them first and who do we call Matt or Lisa and how will Lisa take it in her condition" Annie said as the exited the plane carrying their bags"

"and Lisa would be his wife?" Rosina said

"Just what kind of CONDITION is she in" Richard asked

"Oh she is 24 or 25 weeks pregnant with...uhm triplets" Annie replied

"Your joking, you could have told us before now you know" Richard said

"Lisa being pregnant now doesn't change the fact that Sarah is also pregnant with Matt's child he still had the right to know Richard" Rosina said

"I suppose we should call and see if Matt is in the office in town or the office at his home." Eric said before he went to get a rental car

"You go get a car I will call the house" Annie replied she sat on a bench along with Richard and Rosina and dialed the ranch and it rang a couple of times before Lisa answered the phone from her office

"Good Morning Camdens Crossing" she said

"Hello honey its Annie"

"Hi Mom so glad you called how are you" Lisa asked

"Well that is a complicated answer Where is Matt working today?"

"Oh he is in the home office is something wrong, Oh god its not Eric his heart..."

"No Eric is fine, but we are at the Truckee/Tahoe airport but we needed to speak to Matt before we get there"

"Sure let me get him"

She waddled from her office down the hall to Matts home clinic she was already finding it hard to move since she has already gained over 30 pounds. She went in he was just finishing with a patient and she waited until the patient left before she let him know she was there Once the patient left Matt turned around to see Lisa standing there.

"Oh hi sweetie I didn't see you come in. What's up?"

"Your mom is on the phone Her and your dad are coming for an unexpected visit she wants to talk to you"

"Oh really, hey we haven't see them since the day after Labor day think she will like my new look of the short hair and the facial hair" he said sort of jokingly but Lisa wasn't laughing "Hey what's wrong?"

"I am not sure but something is up I can hear it in your moms voice Oh by the way when I mean they are coming for a visit I mean they are at the Truckee Tahoe airport on the way now"

"Seriously wow. Let me go to the phone in your office, Will you wait here while I talk to them My next patient will be here shortly"

"Sure Mattie no problem." She replied

He walked from his office to hers on the main house and picked up the phone and took it off hold

"Hi mom what's up" he asked

"Wow that took you a while,"

"Yeah I was just finishing with a patient, so you and Dad are here in Truckee nice surprise but something has to be up"

"Yes, there is but you need to hear about it in person and no its not your dad its about Sarah. We have Richard and Rosina with us and its something You have to be told but again not on the phone, your dad just came back he has the keys now to the rental we should be there in a half hour" She told him all this without letting him respond and just hung up He sat at Lisa's desk dumbfounded.

"This must be something serious for the four of them to fly out here but if it about Sarah why would I have to Know we are divorced why does this involve me I wonder?" he said to himself

He walked back to his office and Lisa had finished checking in Matt's patient and had already taken the vitals and height and weight and sent him to the room to get undressed for the exam. Matt came in the outer office Lisa told him how much she took care off.

"I need a favor can you go on the computer to my appointments and cancel or reschedule all of them for today" he asked

"Sure what did you mom say? What's wrong?" she asked

"I am not sure but something major is up and they brought my ex-wife's parents with them, I have no idea why."

"Ok honey I will make the calls for you" she said

Matt went to take care of the current patient and Lisa made all the calls Matt asked and was able to reschedule everyone for another day Matt was just finishing with his patient when he heard a car pull up. Lisa went out to meet them

They all got out of the car and Annie got to Lisa first and hugged her and then Eric Followed suit

"Lisa this is Rabbi Richard Glass and his wife Rosina Glass, Eric said

"Well won't you come in, Matt will be done with his patient shortly and he has cancelled appointments for the rest of the day" she told them as they entered the house, "I guess you haven't eaten lunch yet I know Matt and I haven't"

"No we haven't Annie said "Why don't I go in the kitchen and help you prepare something" Then they walked into the kitchen

"I have vegetarian Lasagna I can throw in the oven to reheat which is ok for people who eat kosher. We have a few Jewish friends in the county" Lisa said

"I am sure that will be fine Why don't I take them in some sweet tea while you do that"

"Thanks mom" Lisa said

Annie proceeded to the Living room with the tray of cups and the pitcher of the sweet tea

While Lisa was still in the kitchen the door from the hallway that lead to Matts office opened and Matt came out and went to the edge of the living room and saw His parents and Sarah's parents sitting solemnly on the couch, He saw by their expressions, that whatever it they came to talk about wouldn't be good and he was afraid it would upset Lisa. He went completely in the room. the four of them saw him as he came into the room

"Hey Matt you cut your hair it looks great" Annie said

"What's with the facial hair Eric asked

"The hair cut and the facial hair Lisa's idea but I have to admit it had grown on me." and then he said to Richard and Rosina " Hi I never expected you two to visit me up here in Truckee, I am still in a little bit of shock if you want to know the truth"

"Sarah will be furious with us for doing this Matt but you have every right to know what we already told you parents and then what we have to tell you" Rosina said

"And yes we know it is over between the two of you even if you weren't remarried already I know you and Sarah wouldn't get back together so it is not about that" Richard said " Do you want us to wait for your wife before we continue this will effect her too"

Matt looked at his mom, "How upset is this going to make her"

"I am not sure I know if I were her a lot but she is different , she ALWAYS has tried to put you and your children first so I honestly don't know, but Lisa is a strong woman"

"Let me go get her I will be right back"

Matt walked out of the living room through the dining room into the kitchen where Lisa was just finishing making a salad. Lisa just pulled the Lasagna out of the oven.

"Hey honey come into the living room they want to talk to us both. Whatever it is will effect us both according to Richard"

"Well lunch is ready why don't you set the table and have them bring their drinks in the dining room and we can sit down to eat and talk"

Matt went back into the living room and told them Lunch was ready and they all sat around the table and Lisa brought the bread Salad and Lasagna in and out it on the table. After they were seated and eating Rosina started the conversation

"Again Sarah knows nothing of this trip but you have to know this and I know this discussion will be painful for you so I am just going to say it Sarah is still pregnant she is due in December" Rosina told him

"WHAT, that's not possible are you saying she lied about the abortion" Matt said angrily

"No" I am not, "She did have and abortion when she was a few weeks along, however she was carrying twins and the second child survived she didn't find out until after the divorce."

Matt put his head in hid hands and said "Oh my God" and had tears in his eyes as he looked at his wife she had tears in her eyes too but it was not for the reason he was thinking she was not hurt for herself she was was hurting for him

"There's more Matt" Richard said "We had to keep her from having a late term abortion with this one she also lead us to believe until recently that you knew and didn't want anything to do with it Sarah says she doesn't want the baby because she doesn't want a reminder of your relationship and she intends to give up the baby and she was never going to tell you"

Matt got up from the table he saw how upset Lisa was getting, "Will you excuse us for a few minutes" he helped Lisa up and took her by the hand to the den and closed the door and held her although he tried not to, he fell apart in her arms. They both cried for a little while she cried mostly for him and mostly because she was so upset at the callousness of Sarah she couldn't understand how Matt could ever marry someone like that.

She pulled back from him "Shh Mattie look at me it will be ok. I am here for you honey." She said as she kissed him and then said "Am I safe to assume you want the baby if you do I am ok with that it is your child I will love it because it is your child. and will accept in our home without question. I am just worried because I don't know if I will be up to caring for a newborn with me carrying the triplets but I know somehow we can make it work We will have a lot of help"

" You would really take my baby in, Lisa because the baby is mine and I don't want strangers raising it Because there is no question I want him or her"

"I figured you would say that so now we just have to figure out how to fight Sarah on this, but I am sure with Richard and Rosina's support we won't have a problem but I want to make it clear that if we do this and Sarah gives up parental rights I want to adopt the child as my own and raise him or her with no difference from the other children I don't want the child to feel different"

"Oh Lisa I love you so much thank you Matt said as he kissed her"

"I just hope that when Sarah realizes the we want to bring the baby into our home she doesn't keep it for spite" Lisa said

" I hadn't thought of that" Matt said

"That baby should feel nothing but love from the day it is conceived unfortunately it isn't feeling it now but I intend to let the baby know that he or she is wanted and loved, I know first hand what it feels like to be rejected by your mother" Lisa said as her eyes filled up with tears

"Oh honey Come here" he said and held her as she wept for herself and his baby, she pulled away and added another stipulation.

"One more thing And I guess it depends on Richard and Rosina but since they are the biological grandparents I want them just as involved with the baby as your parents ok"

Matt sniffled "OK"

Then they walked back into the dining room and Matt pulled out the chair for Lisa and then sat in his chair Matt told them all about His conversation with Lisa and there was no question they wanted the baby He just told them for the first few months they would need help because of Lisa's high risk pregnancy Rosina even agreed to move in for a few months if she needed to in order to help Now the question would be how would Sarah react to all this. They all agreed that they would tell Emma and Ethan to get them used to the idea but they had no idea how they would react.

They all talked and came up with some strategies for dealing with Sarah. Richard and Rosina wanted nothing but the best for their daughter because they loved her but they knew that Sarah had a stubborn streak and she may never forgive them for going behind her back and telling Matt but their conscience wouldn't let them let Sarah do what she planned. But now how to tell her but they decided that Matt should be with them when they confronted Sarah.

Lisa excused herself while they were talking she had to get out of there because she was getting overwhelmed by all this and it wasn't good for her or the babies but she didn't want to let on just how badly this was affecting her. She got into the jeep and drove it to the stables where she checked on bright eyes and got out the stuff for horse grooming and picked up the brush and slowly started to groom the mare, and was crying as she worked she didn't hear Crane come up behind her.

"Hey what's wrong" Crane asked he said as he pulled her towards him and held her and she fell apart "Oh Lisa Shhhh its ok tell me what's wrong"

She quieted after a couple of minutes "I don't know if I can tell you yet"

She was so upset she could barely walk Crane helped her to the jeep and got in and drove to his place and he helped her in the house where Becky was nursing Billy and she looked up to see Crane helping Lisa in the house he helped her sit on the couch

"What's wrong Lisa Becky asked are you ok"

"I guess Matt won't care if I tell you Everyone will know soon enough" Lisa said

Lisa went on to tell them everything that happened and the conversation she and Matt had with Matt's Parents and Richard and Rosina about Sarah. Matt's Ex wife and then when she was finished she started to cry"

Crane sat next to Lisa and comforted her

"I am not upset about Sarah being pregnant Matt was still married to her when it happened. I am upset with how she deceived him how she doesn't want the baby and how callous she is. I know I will love this child because its Mattie's but the timing couldn't be more wrong Her baby is due in the middle of December and how am I going to care for a newborn while I am pregnant with triplets Matt is expecting that by the end of December beginning of January I will be on Bed rest the keep me from going into labor, Oh God I am so overwhelmed. I can't let Matt know I am this upset" She began to cry again uncontrollably

Crane picked her up an carried her into Becky and his bedroom and sat with her until she cried herself to sleep

He came out of the room "Becky Lisa is asleep. We have to call Matt He will want to know Lisa getting this upset can't be good for her"

"Crane Lisa doesn't want him to know"

"Oh so you think she should keep her emotions bottled up around him. Again not good for the baby" he said

"Yes you are right call him"

Crane dialed the main house

Matt answered after a few rings he had been outside with everyone and had to run in and get the phone "Hello" he answered out of breath

"Matt its Crane, I know you have people at the house but You need to get over here"

"Is something wrong with Becky or Billy" Matt asked

"No Its Lisa She is our room right now asleep, Crane filled him in on the last hour with Lisa and then reassured him, "Lisa isn't upset about the baby she is upset and overwhelmed with the timing given her own condition, I don't think it hit her right away and when it did it overwhelmed her"

I will make some excuse and to my parents and My ex in-laws and be right over" Matt went outside and called his mother in "Mom can you come in here a minute"

"Sure Matt she said as she walked in what's up "

"That was Crane he needs me to come over to the house he said walking into his office to get his medical bag "Can you keep Dad and the Glasses occupied until I get back"

"Sure I can is everything ok?"

"I don't know yet hence he bag" he said as he held it up"

Matt had his bag and grabbed his keys and walked outside with his mother "I have to run to the other side of the property to check a patient I will be back soon If Emma and Ethan get home before either Lisa or I do PLEASE don't say anything about the situation." He hopped in his car and took off for Crane and Becky's

He got to the house knocked and walked in Crane was rocking Billy

"How is she is said as he walked in"

"Becky just went in there to check on her she is awake I think she is awake" Crane said

Matt went to the bedroom and walked in Lisa was sitting up but it was very obvious she had been crying.

"I will let you two talk" and Becky excused herself

Matt sat on the bed and drew his wife into his arms "I knew you were more upset than you were letting on"

" I am not upset"

"Oh really he said as he wiped the tears from her cheek"

"Its not what you think I don't want you to get the wrong Idea I don't want you to think I don't want the baby"

"Crane explained everything Its ok honey I understand You are just super hormonal and overwhelmed. I am overwhelmed by this too But at least I am handling it better because I am not the one carrying the triplets"

Matt put his bag on the bed and opened it" Let me get some quick vital signs on you at the very least" He said and he grabbed the equipment needed

"Lisa your blood pressure is High but not too bad I want you to rest for the rest of the day, Let me get you home and in bed"

"I am fine Mattie really"

"We will make this work I promise, We have enough family that will pitch in and I bet Richard and Rosina will help too"

He took her home Lisa was still pretty shaky on her feet when she went to get out of his car

"Can you walk baby" he asked as he grabbed his bag

" I think so if you help me a little"

He helped in in the house and said to his parents and ex in laws, "Lisa's Blood pressure is very high I need to get her to bed she needs to rest the remainder of the day"

He made helped her to bed and assured her again that everything would be fine and Lisa still wasn't relaxing he decided to give her a shot of Ativan to help calm her down so she could sleep, Once she fell asleep he headed back downstairs

"You were up there quite a while is she ok" Eric asked

"She wasn't I had to give her some Ativan to calm her down and let her sleep she was very upset Crane found her in the horse stables grooming Bright eyes"

"Oh Matt we are sorry we didn't want to upset your wife or endanger her health, but Richard and I still feel that telling you was the right thing to do" Rosina told him

"Lisa is not upset about the baby, she is just overwhelmed and afraid in her condition that we won't be able to cope she doesn't know how we will manage, then he looked at his parents, You know what a control freak she is when it comes to somethings ,"

"Well you do not need to worry Matt we you have plenty of family and friends that will help, You know we can always enroll Sam and David up here if need be and I can move in for a while, I am sure Richard and Rosina will help with their grandchild too.

"Of course we will" Rosina said "We were hoping you would let us anyway"

"Good that will help my wife not feel so overwhelmed its to dangerous for her to get this stressed her pregnancy is high risk to begin with" Matt said Well Next week is Thanksgiving and if Lisa is Up to it maybe we will fly to Glen Oak for the Holiday and then We can talk to Sarah then, Are you OK mom and dad with us staying with you for a day or two?"

"Of course that's a wonderful idea as long as it is safe for Lisa"

"She will be almost 26 weeks along by then and this will be the last bit of traveling Since Christmas she will be Almost 30weeks plus We will hopefully by then have the baby here so people will be coming here for that holiday"

As they continued to talk and discuss the situation and how best to approach Sarah when Matt was there for Thanksgiving, Matt heard the school bus pull in and drop of Emma and Ethan and Guthrie and Ford were with them The three kids came barreling in the house Ethan came in first

"Hey daddy Guthrie or Ford will need to call circle 7 and..." he stopped when he saw his grandparents "Grandma, Grandpa, hi what are you doing here" and he and Emma ran to give them hugs Oh Ford or Guthrie needs to call home to tell them they are staying to help with chores we need to go out to the stables

"And I should help mama in the green house hey where is mama" Emma asked

"She wasn't feeling well she is upstairs sleeping" Matt told them Then Matt went to introduce his children and their cousins Richard , Rosina I would like you to meet my son and daughter Ethan and Emma and their cousins Guthrie and Ford"

They all said nice to meet you Ford called Circle 7 and spoke to Hannah and then they went out to do chores

"Wow your kids certainly look like you Matt Richard said I think they are your clones"

"Matt while Lisa is sleeping why don't Rosina and I get dinner together so Lisa doesn't have to worry about it and we can go to the green house and help Emma get some fresh vegetables if there are some" Annie said

"yes there are plenty and thank mom"

Rosina and Annie went into the green house and found Emma there they gathered some fresh carrots and turnips and brought them into the house for dinner and then made some baked chicken

"Hey Grandma how come you and grandpa and your friends are here is something wrong" she asked daddy said mama wasn't feeling well are you here because something is wrong with the babies?" Emma asked

"oh no honey nothing is wrong with mama but there is something very important that we or your mama and daddy will need to talk to you an Ethan about after Ford and Guthrie go home and after dinner and it is ok so don't worry" Annie said

It was almost dinner Crane came and got Ford and Guthrie's back packs and then too them to circle 7 since they were done with tending to the livestock Ethan came in the house Matt went upstairs to check on his wife it and he wanted to get her up for dinner.

Lisa was awake and sitting on the edge of the bed when Matt came in the room. He knelt in front of her

"Are you feeling better?" he asked

"Yes I am I was just very overwhelmed I still am but the sleep and the meds helped, now I have to get up and make dinner"

"No its actually all done. My mom Rosina and Emma. have it on the table"

"I think after dinner we should tell Emma and Ethan, have you made any plans yet on when you will be seeing Sarah" she asked

"Yes we were talking about it while you were asleep And if you are ok with it and ONLY IF YOU ARE OK with it we can fly to Glen Oak for Thanksgiving instead of the 8 hour drive, Maybe leave Wednesday Morning and Come back so I can see patients For Friday afternoon its only an hour flight"

"Well as long as you think it is safe for me to fly Mattie I am ok with it"

"You will be fine on an hour flight" he said Lets go down to eat

Lisa got up freshened up and went downstairs where the food was already on the table and Matt pulled a chair out and Lisa Sat and they ate dinner

"Lisa and I discussed Thanksgiving and we did decide that going to Glen Oak would be the plan" Matt said We will see if we can get a roundtrip flight from Wednesday morning and leave Friday Morning."

After dinner they decided they needed to take the time to discuss the situation with Emma and Ethan The kids knew that daddy had been married before and only divorced right before he married their mama

"There is a reason I am bringing up the fact that I was married before because it will now effect both of you My divorce from Sarah was only final the day before I first came out here and prior to that a few months before that I was trying to make my marriage work with Sarah so we had been living together."

"Bbbut... your not going to go back to her now are you daddy." Emma asked with a sob

"No honey I am If I weren't here with you guys and married to mama I wouldn't, but something happened in the time I was with Sarah that I didn't know until Rabbi and Mrs. Glass came here with grandma and grandpa to tell me." Matt told them

He didn't want to get into all the technical things about the abortion of one baby and not the other so he decided to leave that part out

"Sarah is going to have daddy's baby she is due before Christmas but she doesn't want to keep it so while we are in Glen Oak I am going to talk to her because We will take the baby here and raise him or her just like you two and the triplets mama is carrying we don't want to treat it any different," he said

"And I am very much OK with taking your daddy's child here we are just concerned because of my pregnancy and that by early next year we will have 4 newborns in the house but I am sure we will have all the help we need so don't worry all you have to do is pitch in like you always do"

"Will this baby be your baby too mama" Ethan asked

"Biologically no, only your daddy has the biological part but in every other way yes I am going to adopt this child so I will be its mama" Lisa told them

Then Ethan looked at Matt "So you made this baby way before you knew where mama was, before you knew about us?"

"That's right buddy" Matt replied Are you ok with all of this I know it overwhelmed Mama and me"

"Well four babies is a lot but we were having 3 so what's one more I guess Ethan said with a smile"

"So your not upset that this baby will come from Sarah and not mama" Matt asked

"No should we be" Emma asked

"No not at all" Lisa told them "because I am not,

They finished their conversation and Emma, Ethan and Matt went out to take care of the livestock and shut down for the night

"Wow that went easier than I expected" Lisa said

"I think they are fine with it because you and Matt are fine with it. I still can't believe how accepting you and the kids are with this situation and how willing you are to raise our grandchild" Rosina said,

They were all in the house and everyone was in bed before 9am The got up as usual early the next day and did their chores like always had breakfast and the kids were off to school Matt's parents and Richard and Rosina got ready to head back to Glen Oak Rosina told Matt they wouldn't say anything to Sarah until next week right before Matt would come to confront her.

The next week was very emotional for Lisa but she tried to hide it Matt had made the necessary arrangements to fly to and from Glen Oak They packed Tuesday and were to fly out that night. Crane and Brian told them they would take care of things on the ranch while they were gone and Dr Willoughby was on call incase any of Matt's patients needed him in the interim Lisa had been quieter than usual Matt was concerned he hated to see his wife under so much stress. She had barely spoken all day unless she was talking about getting ready for the trip or giving instructions to Crane for when they were gone.

The trip to Truckee/Tahoe airport was a quiet one as well the kids were tired they had to be there by 7:30 the plane was to leave around 9 pm

Matt grabbed Lisa's hand as he was driving " Are you OK sweetie"

" I am tired and well to be honest I am anxious about this trip I want it to be OK for you I know seeing Sarah will be hard for you" she told him

"I will be ok and if I am not I get to come back to you and have you hold me So I know everything will be ok, Oh I forgot to tell you my dad spoke with an attorney that goes to his church and he will help us with any legal issues we may have Dad explained the situation to him"

"Well at least that is something I guess" Lisa said

It will be fine Lisa, lets not focus on that part of the trip just on seeing the family for the holiday ok I know you love my folks so lets just enjoy this time with them ok"

They Arrived at the airport and checked in and went through security and boarded the plane. It left a little after 9 pm.

the


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

**Arrival in Glen Oak**

They were able to get a roundtrip flight but had to leave Late Tuesday night and would have to be on the airplane at 6 am on Friday morning. They packed and arrived in Glen Oak at 10:30 pm Tuesday November 20th Eric greeted them at the airport and took them home. Because there was more room in the front seat Lisa sat in the front with Eric C and Matt sat in the back with the kids Lisa was quiet the whole ride from LAX to her in laws in Glen Oak and fell asleep with her head against the window They got back to the house about 45 minutes later it was nearing midnight. The house was dark except for the light in the living room

"Everyone is probably sleeping so try to be quiet as you go in" Matt said to Ethan and Emma

Emma and Ethan grabbed their back packs and Eric and Matt grabbed all the rest of the stuff Lisa was still completely asleep Matt decided he would come back for Lisa, They brought the stuff in and Annie showed the kids where they would sleep Matt went back outside for Lisa, He gently opened the door and Lisa flopped into his arms and the movement startled her.

"Oh we are here" She yawned she said as she tried to stand

"Are you ok to walk in?" he asked

"I am groggy but I am ok I think I will just lean on you a little" she replied

He lead her to the house and right upstairs to bed.

**Wednesday**

The next morning Sam and David were awake first and they made sure to wake up Emma and Ethan and were playing in the four of them were playing in their room. Lisa didn't sleep well but she lay snuggled against Matt all night until finally she just ended up getting up as she tossed the covers aside. Matt groaned when the covers moved and she covered him back up,

"Go back to sleep," she said

"Where are you going can't you sleep" he asked

"No I can't plus I think the kids are up" she told him "anyway I need to go to the bathroom"

"Well go to the bathroom check on the kids and then come back to bed I want to hold you a while longer" he said in a playful voice "If you don't I will come find you"

"We really should be getting up Mattie especially if the kids are up"

Matt pushed the covers back "Oh you are no fun"

"Well let me go and I will be right back and then... we can take a shower together"

"And play" He asked,

"Yes and play, you sound as bad as the kids"

He got up and held her from behind "But my kind of playing is a lot more fun" he growled and kissed her neck and pressed his erection against her bottom

"You are bad" she said I will be right back

Matt was thankful that his mom had put in the 3rd floor bathroom so he and Lisa would have privacy Lisa was back in a 10 minutes she gave all 4 kids juice boxes and granola bars to tide them over until breakfast and went back to the 3rd floor Matt was already undressed and in the bathroom Lisa undressed and hopped in the shower with him she leaned back on him and put her head under the water as he soaped her body up

"Oh Mattie you feel so good" she said as he entered her from behind

"Of course I do and you like it don't you baby" he said as he thrust into her deeper he held her up as she climaxed and then thrust more until he came to his own release

They finished their shower and got dressed then they went downstairs, Matt went in the room with the kids and Lisa went down to the kitchen to find Annie in the kitchen starting kids and everyone else was fed and then they went off to play in the back yard then Lisa and Annie went about the preparations for Thanksgiving which was tomorrow

"Lucy Kevin and the kids would be in later today Annie told her Eric is supposed to pick them up about noon Ruthie is going to sleep on the couch and They will take the garage apartment. "

"Annie I was wondering if you would come to Truckee and help me before Sarah delivers I have a lot of time before ours are born but since we will be having this one so much sooner I need help getting together a nursery I am going to ask Rosina too" Lisa Asked

"Of course I will help" Annie replied

The phone rang " Do you want me to grab it" Lisa asked

"Sure since my hands are covered in stuffing mix" Annie told her

"Hello" Lisa said as she answered the phone She listened "Yup he is outside with the kids I will get him. Lisa walked to the back door and yelled out " Mattie... Phone is for you"

He came running to the house "Who is it?" he asked

"Rabbi Glass" she replied"

He took the cordless phone and walked into his fathers office for privacy. He came out a short time later and Lisa noticed he had a concerned look on his face.

"What's wrong Mattie?" She asked him

"Richard and Rosina want me to come over today instead of Tomorrow, Sarah is working at some point tomorrow and think it would be best today Let me grab Dad and We will head over there now"

"Do you want me to go with you Mattie" Lisa Asked

"I don't think it is a good idea I don't want either of you upset You mostly but I also don't want to put undo stress on her for the welfare of the baby"

"Ok Mattie, she said as she kissed him "I love you"

Matt and Eric left for the Glass's house and were there within 10 minutes Matt took a deep breath, not looking forward to the confrontation coming Sarah had been told right after the conversation Richard had with Matt on the phone that he was on his way over and why and that they had been to his home in Northern California The verbal altercation was in full swing by the time Eric and Matt got there Matt rang the doorbell.

** Confrontation with Sarah**

Rosina answered the door and let them in

"How could you betray me like that I am your daughter YOUR ONLY DAUGHTER" Sarah shrieked You chose him over me"

"Because it is wrong Matt has the right to his child and we want to be a part of our grand child's life"

Matt walked in the room "Hello Sarah, We should talk alone"

Eric Richard and Rosina left them in the living room and went in the kitchen but Rosina made sure she could hear

"How dare you just show up here, Who do you think you are?" Sarah screamed

"I am that baby's father," Matt said pointing to Sarah's abdomen " You have not right to keep it for me I will be suing for custody"

"It makes me sick knowing I am carrying your child I don't want it, You're welcome to it" Sarah said angrily I didn't tell you because I figured you would want nothing to do with it since you were all set in your perfect life now"

"When I was in New York the last time I saw you did you know then" Matt asked

"I knew but you cut me off you didn't want to talk to me because YOUR WIFE AND KIDS WERE THERE" she spit out

" I am sorry Sarah I should have talked to you but I was so angry about the abortion still, You really don't want this baby?"

"No it will be a reminder of our failed relationship, I don't want to see it or even know the sex," she said in a defeated tone "So you and your wife really want it"

"As a matter of fact we do I am glad you won't fight me over the baby but in case you would have I have have sought legal council"

"You don't need it I won't fight you." she told him and then said sarcastically" Since the baby is still breech I am having a C section I have asked to be put under general anesthesia so I wont be awake for the delivery. You can be in the room if you want I won't know the difference"

"Wow I am surprised that this is going to be that easy" Matt said

"Well my other option would be to fight you for custody of a child I don't want but there is a stipulation."

"What's the stipulation Sarah" Matt asked

"I never want to know anything about it I do not want him or her coming to look for me when its older Any information it gets about me my parents can provide with out it coming to find me since I know my parents will have contact with you but they will need to agree not to talk to me about the child too I also never ever want to talk to you again after the baby goes to you"

" Fine, then it is settled Well I will have all the legal documentations drawn up before the baby is born and that you give up all parental rights so my wife can adopt the baby she already has asked me if she could I hope you are Ok with that I am telling you because I want to be upfront with our intentions"

"Yes Ms. Perfect can be its mommy I don't care I told you I am having no involvement" she told him and then said sarcastically" Oh by the way my C section will be December 14th Just in time for your Christmas Holiday"

Matt calculated in his head and thought to himself _"Lisa will be 28 weeks pregnant by then she definitely cant travel then_" I will make sure to be here the day before and stay until I can take the baby home."

Sarah called her parents and The Rev Camden back into the room and told them of her decision Matt told his father to have all the necessary paper work drawn up so when the day of delivery arrives there will be no issues and he can take the baby home right away. She was still upset about everything and when they were done she decided to go to her office and get some paperwork done

After she left Eric asked Richard and Rosina."I know you said Sarah is working tomorrow so what are you both doing for Thanksgiving"

"Just making a turkey for the 3 of Us Sarah will be home after 6 tomorrow she may of may not want to eat with us" All we have to do is cook it I have everything else prepared and I can Microwave it Why do you ask" Rosina said

"Why don't you come to our house around noon and have Thanksgiving with us" Eric asked them

""Are you sure Annie won't mind" Richard asked

"No she won't mind at all"If it will make you feel better I will call her now Eric called home to let her know that they would be leaving shortly for home and it went well also to make sure that she wouldn't mind extra guests for Thanksgiving tomorrow Annie asked to talk to Rosina

"Hi Rosina I would be so happy to have you and Richard please by all means come over if it will make you feel better come over in the morning and Help cook"

" Well I have a second Small Kosher turkey that I can cook tonight and bring if you don't mind all the other food will be fine" Rosina said

"Oh that will be wonderful Well see you about 9 am then I figured Richard could go with they guys to the high school football game" Annie said

9 am it is and then Rosina hung up.

**Back at the Camdens**

Eric and Matt Left to go back to Matt's parents

"I cant believe how easy she just agreed to everything or how nasty she was I had to bite my tongue through half the conversation." Matt said

They arrived home and Lisa was sitting on the front steps waiting. He got out of the car and embraced Lisa

"How did it go?" she asked

"So much better than I expected but she is so bitter and nasty but she did agree" Matt told her about the conversation he had with Sarah and the date of the C section."As long as the baby is healthy I will be able to fly back with it after it is discharged "

"We have to come up with some names I think I want to honor the baby's Jewish roots and to honor the grandparents for telling us they didn't have to you know"

"Do you have any ideas" Matt asked

"Well is there any male relative Richard was close to and any female relative Rosina was close too"

Uhm I remember Richard telling me more than once how he missed his paternal grandfather Jacob a lot and he was named after a great grandfather Richard and Well as far as Rosina I Know she has a special bond with both her grandmothers Abigail and Rachel"

"Well then those will be the choices as long as They are ok with it Jacob Richard if its a boy and Abigail Rachel if it is a girl So I guess we will tell them Tomorrow when they get here.

For the rest of the day Lisa helped with the festive decorating with Annie The kids were making Thanksgiving crafts Eric had went to the airport to get Kevin Lucy and the kids. The continued with various preparations but Lisa got tired fairly early and right after dinner she excused herself and went upstairs

**Thanksgiving**

Morning seemed to come all to quickly for Lisa She sat up. "I feel like a beached whale already" she said loud enough to wake up Matt

"You still look beautiful you don't look like a whale" he said as he grabbed her and lay her back down and began to kiss her and caress her body He grabbed her hand and pulled it to himself "you see what you do to me?"

She reach behind her and put her hand inside his underwear as he moaned into her neck as he kissed her there. he pulled off his T-shirt and she pulled off his boxers then he lifted off her nighty and pulled her underwear off,

"We will have to find another position I think you being on top isn't really possible anymore my belly is too big"

"Oh I will find a way "Matt teased as he rolled her on her side and got behind her and teased They definitely found a way to play

He then helped her up and they went into the bathroom they both showered and got dressed

"Your mom will need a lot of help today so I guess I should go downstairs and at least start breakfast if she isn't already up, " Lisa said

"I will come with you and help"

"Matt I have been thinking most of you family do not know the situation with Sarah and I guess they will think something is up with Richard and Rosina coming today I think after dinner after Richard and Rosina go home we should tell the rest of the family mine already knows"

"Yeah I think you are right"

Annie was already in the kitchen starting breakfast " Hey you too up already" she said to them as they entered the kitchen "Did you just get up?"

"No we have been up for quite a while we have been Ah... busy" Matt said as grabbed Lisa and kissed her neck from behind

Lisa felt the stain of a blush on her cheeks "Oh Mattie cut it out you are embarrassing me"

"Lisa look at your belly, you are pregnant my mom know we have sex" He teased her

"Oh Matt leave her alone" Annie said as she hit him with the kitchen towel.

Lisa quickly changed the subject "What can we do to help?"

Annie gave them a list of stuff to do and Lisa and Matt busied themselves with breakfast , while Annie started with the Thanksgiving preparation she already had the deserts done and started peeling the potatoes the. Everyone was in the kitchen for breakfast by 7:30 Annie just put the 25 lb stuffed turkey in the oven

Lisa had called her dad and brothers to wish them Happy Thanks giving She had called her dad last week about the issue with Sarah and let him know that Matt saw her yesterday and there wouldn't be a problem with getting the baby

Richard and Rosina arrived a little before 9 am She brought food and gave it to Annie to put it into the kitchen Simon was in the living room ready to with Cecelia to go to the game as well as Kevin

Matt was in the kitchen with Lisa" You sure you don't mind if I go to the football game,?" he asked

"No go ahead it will give us women a chance to talk about all of you" she laughed

"Oh Swell" he replied

So Matt, Emma, Ethan,Eric, Sam, David, Kevin,Savannah, Simon, Cecelia, Ruthie and Richard all headed to the Wildcats football game That left Lisa, Annie, Lucy of course with baby Nathaniel, and Rosina there to work on the food

They came back a few hours later cheering that the wild cats won the game 24-10

Before the meal was put on table Matt asked if he could use his dad's office to speak with Richard and Rosina he grabbed Lisa and told her he wanted to tell them about the names they wanted for the baby and took Richard and Rosina into the office

"Lisa and I were talking last night about baby names We want to honor Jewish tradition as far as that goes and were wondering how you would feel about the names we chose and when you hear them you will know why"

"Oh Matt, Lisa thank you for thinking along the lines of Jewish tradition that means a lot too us" he said Richard

"The names we chose if it is a boy Jacob Richard and if it is a girl Abigail Rachel" Matt told them

"Oh that's wonderful thank you so much" Rosina said as she and Richard hugged them both

"Rosina, I was wondering if you would come back to Truckee next week with Annie and help me get together a nursery for the baby, Matt and I hadn't put anything together yet since the triplets aren't due for awhile"

"Oh of course I would love to do it. I will arrange it with Annie and see what works best for everyone" Rosina replied

They went back out into the dining room Dinner was on the table by 1:30 They all ate their fill and then some After dinner the deserts were brought in. Around 3pm Richard and Rosina thanked the Camdens for a wonderful Dinner but they had to go home and prepare dinner for Sarah Rosina quietly told Lisa and Annie that she would see them next week to go nursery shopping After they left Lisa and Annie went back to the table Lisa nodded to Matt to let him know it was time to say something.

Matt stood up and got everyone's attention "I waited for Richard and Rosina to leave because I didn't want to make them uncomfortable, only they mom and dad and Lisa and our kids know this but Lisa and I decided it was time to make the family aware of the issue" He took a breath he didn't mention abortion aspect of it because of under age ears "Sarah's is pregnant and having a C section on December 14th and yes it is mine but Lisa and I only found out last week. Sarah doesn't want it as was going to out it up for adoption The Glassed along with Mom and dad came to Truckee last week to tell us, I went yesterday to talk with Sarah. She has agreed to give up parental rights and give me full custody and Lisa will adopt the baby"

The family was speechless

Then Lucy spoke up "Lisa this is going to be incredibly difficult how are you going to manage the first few months before the triplets are born and then after You will have 4 babies, but I guess that's what family is for you can count on Kevin and me to help as much as possible."

"Well your mom and Rosina will come and stay with us for a while," Lisa said

"And your father and I already discussed this that until the end of the school year at least I will be living in Truckee with Lisa and Matt. Sam and David will be enrolling in school there at the same school Emma and Ethan go to the Glenshire Elementary I have already been in contact with both the school here the Roosevelt school in Glen Oak and Glenshire in Truckee and explained the situation Roosevelt is already faxing the appropriate paper work to Truckee" Annie told them

" And I discussed the situation with the associate pastor Sandy, who will take on more responsibilities as needed So I can be In Truckee at least 3-4 days a week and we will alternate the Sunday sermon"

"Wow you seem to have most of this figured out mom" Kevin said

"We had too, I am a control freak and nothing makes me stress out more than having my life feel like it is spinning out of control. Under normal circumstances I can deal with it, but given my condition, not so much" Lisa told them

Lisa moved to get up and sat right back down "Wow am I lightheaded"

"I think you need to go upstairs and lay down" Matt told her

"I think you are right, but there is so much to clean up and we have to pack we have an early flight tomorrow we have to leave the house around 4 am" Lisa said

"Don't worry about cleaning up Annie told her "Matt take her upstairs she should rest"

Matt took Lisa upstairs and made sure he packed everything Lisa was asleep before he left the room The next thing she remembered was the alarm going off at 2 am

"Mattie get up"

"Yeah I heard the alarm" he said as he sat up

"Is every thing packed?" she asked

"Yup except for our toiletries and what the 4 of us are wearing today." They got up took their showers dressed finished packing Matt brought their 2 bags downstairs then he woke the kids up so they could get washed and ready to go and told them to bring their backpacks to the front door when they were finished. Annie was downstairs getting a quick breakfast together for them Eric got the car out and they were headed for the airport by 345 with no traffic they were there by 4:15 he dropped them off at the front entrance and hugged them goodbye. They went through check in and security and finally were able to board the plane they were back in Truckee by 7:15

**Back in Truckee**

They landed and got their things got to his explorer and were home by 8:30. Matt parked and helped Lisa out of the explorer and into the house He and the kids brought in the bags, Crane was in their kitchen, He and Brian had already done morning chores. he was just putting the eggs away when he heard them come in,

"Welcome back" Crane said how was the trip?"

"Tiring" Lisa answered "but good"

"Do I dare ask how it went with his ex" Crane asked

Matt heard him as he walked in "Actually it went well she has agreed to everything and is scheduled for a C section December 14th Mom and Rosina will be here next week to help shop for nursery stuff. I am guessing for all 4 babies they might as well while they are at it My mom and dad decided that she would move her with the boys in December and enroll them at Glenshire for this year."

"Oh that will be a good help I hope you don't mind I told the rest of the family the situation and everyone volunteered to help as needed so you have our full support too"

"Thanks Crane that means so much to us" Lisa said

Because of scheduling issues Rosina and Annie were not able to make it the last week of November as planned So Matt took time that week to get all the stuff out of the large spare room and he and Crane put a fresh coat of yellow paint on the walls

Rosina and Annie did end up coming Saturday night December 1st Rosina they Drove together in the big van it was an 8 passenger van and the four of them Annie, Rosina Sam and David fit comfortably They had everything they needed packed in the carrier on the roof. This was the move that Annie was making until at least June with the boys and Rosina would be there for maybe a week and then she would be back once the baby was born the trip was a long eight hour drive and they left at 9 pm that night after temple services and got to the house after a few rests by 6 am the next morning When they pulled in Emma and Ethan were outside doing chores with Matt while Lisa was making breakfast. Matt saw them pull up.

"Emma, Ethan they are here Lets help them get the stuff out of the Van." He told them

They went into the house The boys things went into Ethan's room Matt had put bunk beds in the room Rosina and Annie shared a room for this week anyway The big spare room had been cleaned and pained and completely emptied out so it could be transformed into a nursery

Annie and Rosina had Lisa sit and then they went and finished making breakfast

"You look tired honey" Annie said

"No I am fine I am just not awake yet I am not allowed any caffeine anymore per Dr Matt" But he is right when I drink it my blood pressure goes up and the babies are SOOOOO active so even though I am going through withdrawal. In the long run I will be healthier"

They went to church and then came home and Got settled in.

The next day it was up early as usual they got up did there chores and got ready for school The Friday before Annie had already spoke to Karen Gauthier the principal who already had all the arrangements made for Sam and David had a copy of their medical history and immunizations and Parental consent forms and any other paper work was faxed in Mrs. Harrington would be their 3rd grade teacher she was just across the hall from Mrs. Every Emma and Ethan's teacher. The bus cam at 7:30 and picked up the 4 kids and headed to school.

Matt was working from home today and as soon as Lisa was done with some office work, she Annie and Rosina would take a trip to Babies R Us in Reno. It was about an hour away. They shopped for hours put a lot of stuff on the list to be delivered they got all the baby furniture for all 4 babies ordered and it would be delivered in a few days.

They stopped to go for lunch they drove down the street to Boston Market Then they went to the Meadowood mall and shopped more. They let Lisa rest in between stores they finished for the day and headed home and were home by 4 pm Then van was full of small baby Items the bigger stuff would be delivered They had bought so much they could barely get the door closed Annie put the kids to work unloading the van and putting the stuff into the empty room for the nursery. Matt came out of his office

"You three were gone so long I was about to sent out a search party did you finish all your shopping he said as he looked in the nursery well except for the furniture."

"Oh god no not even close We have 4 babies to buy for Mattie" Lisa said Oh and furniture will be delivered Wednesday ALL OF IT 4 of everything well only two rockers but other than that yes 4 we even have 2 double strollers on order She handed him the list,"

"We need 4 changing tables, Why 4" he asked

"2 for upstairs 2 for downstairs it only makes sense so we don't have to go upstairs to change them all the time" she said

"I am glad I didn't have to do the shopping I would be lost" he added

The morning of December 5th a big Babies R Us Truck came to the ranch with all the baby furniture The delivery men spent the better part of the day putting together all 4 cribs bassinets changing tables dressers and any other miscellaneous stuff like walkers swings etc. by the end of the day the furniture was all set for the arrival of the first baby although he or she would be in a bassinet in the master bedroom for the time being.

Lisa was tired so she napped as Rosina and Annie started to fold the tiny baby clothes and put them away. Rosina stayed until the end of the week but then took a flight back to Glen Oak Friday morning, she took a bag filled with things for the baby and the newborn car seat so Matt wouldn't have to carry it when he flew next week. Rosina wanted to be back partly for Sarah and also because they were in the middle of Hanukkah, it started on the 5th and would end on the 12th then Sarah was due to deliver the following Friday the 14th

The following week was a busy one Matt wanted everything in order before he left Thursday afternoon for Glen Oak He was glad his mother would be there with Lisa He hated her being left alone at this point in her pregnancy she was 28 weeks.

It was Thursday morning the kids knew that their father would be gone by the time they got home from school so they said their goodbyes and got on the bus.

"I Wish I didn't have to leave you but hopefully I will be home Sunday or Monday as long as the baby is healthy and there is no issues with the legalities"

"I can go with you to the airport you know" Lisa told him

"No, Crane can take me I want you to rest and make sure you keep those pressure stockings on when you are up walking, I know you hate them but your legs will swell to much with out them" Matt scolded her.

"I know but I do hate them I hated when you started to make me wear them this week" She complained

He stayed until after lunch when Crane arrived to take him to the airport. His flight was to leave at 2:15 PM

"Well I will call you when I get to my parents house and many more times after that" He kissed her "I love you the next time you see me we will have a new baby"

He hugged her and his mother and headed off to the airport. He got to the airport and boarded the plane he was back in Glen Oak by 3:30

I AM TRYING TO DECIDE WHETHER I WANT THE BABY TO BE A BOY OR A GIRL HAVE YOUR SAY PLEASE EITHER COMMENT OR PM ME AND GIVE ME YOU SUGGESTION **REMEMBER LISA IS PREGNANT WITH GIRLS AND A BOY TOO SO DO WE WANT ANOTHER GIRL OR A BOY TO EVEN THINGS OUT**


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter** 17**

**Arrival in Glen Oak**

Eric and Ruthie picked Matt up from the airport. Matt got in the back seat and he noticed that the car seat was already in the car

"You are already prepared huh dad he pointed to the car seat"

"Never can be too ready" Eric told him

They got back to the house and Matt grabbed his bag and took it inside up to the 3rd floor and came back down a little while later

"It's so strange in the house with out mom and the boys here, he said But I have to admit I like having them at the my house, So what will we do for dinner"

"Pizza I guess is fine, Let me place an order" Eric said

"I will call Lisa when you are done so she knows I arrived safely," Matt said

**Back In Truckee**

The kids got back from school and headed into the kitchen to start their home work and then in a half hour or so they would go find Uncle crane and help with the Livestock

The phone rang and Annie answered it "Hello, Sure just a minute" She called out to Lisa "Phone is for you"

"Is it Mattie?" she said hopefully

"No its your father"

Lisa picked up the phone "Oh hi dad"

"Hi baby girl how are you feeling" He asked

"Ok I guess tired mostly and well to be honest like a beached whale it is so hard to move I have gained 35 pounds already" she complained

"Well I hope you are getting your rest, Listen the reason I am calling Christmas is fast approaching and you will have the new baby by then and I was wondering if We could fly out next week and stay through the holidays, don't worry no extra work for you we can take care of ourselves and pitch in where needed he told her

"Who is _we_ daddy?"

"Don't worry I am not bringing your mother anywhere near you she is flying to Milan to spend the holiday with Kristen and her new boyfriend Clark Garrison, it would just be me your brothers and their families, we can stay at the bunk house if you want"

"Oh dad I would love it, But are you sure you don't want to spend it with mum"

"No most definitely not!" Eric said sternly

"Uh oh did I hit a touchy subject dad, I am sorry"

"Well I don't want you to be upset but your mother and I have had problems. I don't like her attitude in regards to you and your family. So you mother and I are taking a break from one another"

"Oh dad I am sorry I don't want you to have to choose between her or us" Lisa told him

"Honey it not your fault you are not the one making me and your brothers and sister choose its her, but I don't want to talk about this anymore I don't want to upset you" he told her lovingly. Anyway on to happier things Has Matt left for Glen Oak yet?"

"Yes he should be there by now He will call me when he gets to his parents house. I just wish I could have went with him to be there for the baby's birth but it was too risky for me to fly. Sarah is scheduled first thing in the morning for the C section"

"Yes you are right it would be risky Listen we thought we would come the morning of the 19th that way we could be rested enough for Emma and Ethan's Birthday the next day"

"Oh dad you remembered that make me feel so happy"

As they were talking the phone beeped to tell her another call was coming in

"Dad I have to go another call is coming in, it may be Mattie, I will talk to you later love you bye" she clicked on to the other line " Hello"

"Hey sweetie its me I am just at my parents house letting you know I arrived safely"

"OK I am glad you let me know" Lisa said to him but sounded distracted

"Are you ok honey you sound... I don't know... Off?" He asked What's up

"Oh I just got off the phone with my dad." she said

"And... is that a good thing or a bad thing?" he asked with a note of concern in his voice

"Both" she replied "The good is that he and my brothers and their families will be here for the holidays. They will come the 19th the day before the twins 10th Birthday"

"What's the bad news honey"

"My mum is spending Christmas with Kristen in Milan with Kristen's new boyfriend Clark" Lisa told him

"Why is that bad new other than that I guess you may have wanted Kristen her too"

"The way dad worded things I think he and Mum are separated he said they were taking a break from each other, Oh Mattie is my fault" She said with a sob "Dad told me it wasn't my fault but in a way it is"

"Your dad is right is isn't your fault, Now I don't want you to make yourself upset"

"After you left I started to make a list of things I have to do. I not only have to Christmas shop but shop and plan the kid's party I am so overwhelmed and with the baby coming home this weekend.. I can barely move and now the stress of my parents marriage it's too much" and she started to cry

"oh baby shhh don't cry it will be ok we will get it done, Hey I have an Idea shop on line and have the kid's birthday stuff delivered and you can have the my mom make the cakes she loves to do that or order something"

"You are right I can't let this overwhelm me" she said do you want to talk to your mom she is right here" she asked

"Yeah put her on I love you baby" he said

"I Love you too" and she handed the phone over to his mom

He didn't think Lisa would mind if he filled his mother in on the discussion they had he wanted his mother to make sure Lisa wasn't getting stressed

"Don't worry Matt I will make sure she doesn't stress I will help her plan everything and do all the running around It will be fine" I am going to let you go because we are going to eat dinner soon, Bye Matt"

"Bye mom" Matt hung up

Lisa looked on line for a long time after dinner. She told the kids that they had to get stuff Saturday to have either its a boy or girl signs and to get stuff for their party. They decided to go to Incline Village to the Dress the Party Store it was pretty big and she was sure they could get all they needed This time around she would order food instead of make it she felt she if she couldn't do it herself she would order party platters from the Deli at Safeway Lisa felt pleased with herself and relaxed that at least the party would be handled she would wait until Matt came home to worry about Christmas.

She even did a little Well a lot of online shopping some to be delivered for the kids by Monday or Tuesday the rest she wanted for the in by the end of next week She had talked to the dealer weeks ago and decided to call the dealer to finally order them for Matt and the Kids it was their BIG Christmas Presents She got them each a motorized ATV the kids got smaller ones all were Kawasaki 125cc ATV Fully Automatic hers was Purple and his was Blue. She got Matt and adult size 2007 Kawasaki KFX®50 green it was to be delivered on the 21st She ordered the kids brand new saddles for their birthday as well as clothing

Lisa felt like she had accomplished a lot and went to bed content she missed having Matt in bed with her and called him in his cell as she climbed into bed

It rang once " Hello" he said groggily,"

"Oh honey I didn't wake you" Lisa asked

"Well yes but I actually dozed off in the chair" he said as he got up and stretched "how are you doing? You sound better than earlier"

"Yes I am much better I kept my mind occupied and got a lot accomplished I still have some running around to get things Saturday but I got a lot of Online shopping done I order you and Emma and Ethan's big presents for Christmas as well as I got them each the new Saddles they wanted for their Birthday, you know the ones that you were looking at a while back."

"Oh that's great, but uhm correct me if I am wrong you said you had running around to do Saturday you shouldn't be running anywhere or really leaving the house"

"Well your mother doesn't know the area she certainly doesn't know how to get to Incline Village so I will have her drive and the 6 of us will go shopping we need to go to the party store Then Back up to Truckee to go to Safe way and order food and to Cake Tahoe to order the 2 cakes don't worry I will take it easy"

"You had better I want you well rested when I get home Sunday or Monday" he told her "Make sure when you do go out you are not on your feet too much and where the Pressure stockings"

"Yes Dr Matt I love you now go to sleep you have a big day tomorrow

**Friday December 14th**

Matt woke up very early that morning and contacted Rosina on her cell phone

'Hi Rosina its Matt I am assuming everything is on for today?"

"Hold on a minute ok I am in with my daughter, I will be right back Sarah" She said as she exited her hospital room and went into the hall "Sorry Matt I didn't want to upset her" Yes everything is set for her to have the C section at 9:30 they will take her to the OR and she will be under General anesthesia you are to report to the Maternity operating Suite secretary by 9 am everyone is aware of the situation, Sarah made it very clear she doesn't want to see you She has signed most of the paperwork already. "

"How come not all the paper work is signed she isn't going to change her mind" Matt asked in a panic

Oh no its not that some of the paper work isn't allowed to be signed until after the baby is born that's all Rosina told him "Oh by the way they are allowing me into the OR too I hope you don't mind"

"Of Course it is OK its your daughter and Grandchild" he told her Well I have to run I will see you in a while I have to hop in the shower and then call Lisa"

He hung up took his shower and got dressed then picked up his cell off the charger and called Lisa. She and Annie were making breakfast for the kids when the phone rang.

She looked at the caller ID ' Hi Mattie are you already for the big day?"

"Yes , I am nervous as hell though I just don't want anything to go wrong." he replied

"It will all be fine, I will be waiting for your call and I want you to take pictures with your phone and send them to me"

Ruthie was already off to Crawford when Matt came downstairs and Eric out some Eggs in front of him

"Eat and then we can head out It's already 8 am"

Matt and Eric ate quickly and gulped down their coffee and left about 15 minutes later for Glen Oak Hospital.

Eric went into the waiting room with Richard and Matt and Rosina went to see the maternity operating room secretary and were given their scrubs to change into

About 10 minutes later they emerged and they were told Sarah was already in the OR and she was being put under they had to wait another 10 minutes. Then Both Matt and Rosina went in the room. Rosina sat by Sarah's head and Matt was closer to the Baby Resuscitaire the warming bassinet and could see the surgery from where he was situated

Sarah's Doctor was Dr Klein he made the incision and a 10 minutes later Matt saw the Doctor grasp his baby's head the baby has a full head of curly brown hair after a little tugging out came the baby "its a boy the doctor told Matt then the doctor had Matt come closer to cut the cord and they placed the baby in his arms and Matt put him on the bassinet and he was cleaned. Rosina got up to look at her new Grandson

**"**Oh isn't he Beautiful she exclaimed

"Happy birthday Jacob Richard Camden" Matt said as he was handed his 8 lb. 8 oz. son again now that he was cleaned up. Matt studied his sons features and thought to himself "_he may have Sarah's hair but he definitely has a Camden face."_

The nurse put the daddy band on Matt and the matching baby band on his son and they put the baby in an isolette and Mat followed her as his son was brought him to the nursery Rosina was allowed to stay with Sarah.

Matt stayed in the nursery for a while and took some pictures with his phone Then went into the waiting room, and Eric and Richard stood up as he entered

"I see Rosina hadn't gotten back yet, she must be in the recovery room with Sarah"

"Well" Richard said

"Its a boy. 8 pounds 8 ounces full head of curly hair come walk to the nursery window and I will go in and get him"

They both followed Matt down the hall and Matt went into the nursery. The nurse was just putting a diaper on him and then swaddled him and handed the baby to Matt put the baby in the bassinet and wheeled him out in the hall so the 2 new grandpas could get a good look at him. They oohhed and ahhed over the baby. An hour later Rosina came out and told Richard that Sarah had been taken to a different floor just a plain surgical floor she didn't want to be near the maternity floor Rosina looked at her little grandson and felt so sorry for Sarah she didn't know what the joy she was missing out on .

Now that the commotion was over he and his dad took the baby to the special private room reserved for people adopting babies to visit with the newborns he held his son and called Lisa

Lisa and Annie had been sitting by the phone all morning awaiting the call from Matt. The phone rang only once before Lisa answered it.

"Mattie? is that you honey"

"Yup its me, It's a boy 8 pounds 8 ounces brown curly hair he's so beautiful. I can't wait for you to see him"

"Hang on Sec. Lisa told him "Its a boy" she said to Annie

"I will send you some pictures I have to go the nurse came in with a bottle for me to feed him Oh we do have bottles formula and Diapers right?"

"Yes honey we bought all that last week we are already for him" I love you I call me tonight?

"Yes I will I love you too"

Lisa got her cell and waited for the baby pictures when they finally came she saw how much he looked like Ethan

Lisa spent the quite a bit of time calling family and friends to tell them it was a boy

Matt spent the rest of the day with his son they even has a room he could stay in and room in with him so Eric brought Matt's things the hospital He called Lisa later that Evening and told her how well the baby was doing and he spent the night at the hospital

Lisa read on line that even though she wasn't the birth mother she would be able to breast feed the him from the beginning she called the La Leche league and explained the situation. They sent some lactation consultants to the ranch and they told her that she may be surprised to learn that you don't have to give birth to nurse a baby — you can breastfeed an adopted baby. She may have trouble in the beginning and may not be able to fully satisfy the baby but she had a very good chance because she herself was

The consultant told her "It's the suckling of a child that triggers milk production, not an automatic physiological reaction that begins during pregnancy. Hormones drive the production of breast milk. Prolactin, a hormone created by the pituitary gland, makes breast milk, and if you stimulate the breast enough to increase prolactin levels, you will get milk.

"An increase in the hormones estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy, do help prepare a woman's body for breastfeeding by enlarging the ducts and alveoli"

Inducing lactation isn't complicated, but it does take time: and she should buy a hospital grade pump which she already had, and use it often. But don't expect to lactate overnight. It can take a month or more of regular pumping to trigger milk production (start slow but build up to eight to ten times a day). Timing this with your baby's arrival can be tricky, since few adoptive parents get much advance notice. Since Lisa was pregnant she would produce milk a lot more easily than just an ordinary adoptive mother

They also told Lisa if she wasn't able to make enough milk in the short amount of time before her babies were born she would need to supplement. But that didn't mean she would you have to use bottles.

There was a recommendations the to use a Supplemental Nursing System (SNS), which allows you to feed formula to your baby formula through a pair of thin tubes you attach to your areola with surgical tape. Your baby nurses normally and gets a mix of formula and whatever breast milk you're producing. If you use this method, plan on supplementing with premixed or concentrated formula,

The supplementers have two functions: They ensure that your baby is getting enough food and they encourage nipple sucking, which triggers more breast milk production. The La Leche league Representative dropped off the training system so Lisa could use it when Matt brought Jacob home and she put it in the kitchen along with the breast pump and some bottles and formula

Lisa couldn't wait to tell Matt but she had to wait until Saturday

Lisa had an appointment today at the clinic with Dr Willoughby Annie Drove her in With all the craziness she hadn't had her glucose tolerance test yet . She had a brief exam everything looked ok She hadn't eaten yet because this test was a fasting blood sugar the doctor gave her the gross orange sweet liquid to drink and she waited the hour to have her blood drawn and he did and had it tested right away it was very high just as she suspected she had gestational diabetes

Dr Willoughby sent her with Annie to see a nutritionist who told her how she should be eating and gave her a glucometer to test 4 times a day and to record her results and they would see her in a week to go over the results and if need be get her on insulin but Lisa hoped the diet would be enough to control everything

**Saturday**

She called him Early Saturday morning it rang once

"Hi Lisa last night went wonderful" He is doing so well maybe later this afternoon he could get discharged Sarah is suppose to sign all the paperwork this morning and Dads lawyer who is also a notary public will be fly to Truckee so you can so you can sign the adoption papers"

"oh that makes me happier than I already am I have been in such a good mood I have so much to tell you I am going to be able to breast feed right away so I will have that bonding with him"

Ok... and how is that possible?"

She filled him in on her meeting with counselors from the La Leche league and read to him all the information and told him about the training kit they left"

"That's terrific Lisa. and you are really up for this?"

"For the most part yes I may not be able to do every feeding but I am going to try to do a lot of them"

"How did I ever get such a wonderful wife"

You are just lucky I guess"

She purposely neglected to tell him about the diabetes she didn't want to worry him.

She hung up and had the kids do their chores

"Did you tell him about the doctors visit, about the gestational diabetes? Annie asked her

"No I didn't want to worry him yet lets wait until he gets home, and please don't say anything to anyone else"

"Ok" Annie agreed "for now"

Around 10 am she Annie and all 4 kids headed out to do some shopping . Annie drove to Incline Village 1st where they went to the party store and got all the supplies including invites and also some welcome home baby signs and then they went to Cake Tahoe and ordered to large birthday cakes and the shop also has balloons that Lisa ordered The last stop was to Safeway they were able to order platters and platters of food all to be picked up for Thursday the 20th Lucky for the kids it was a half day and No school on Friday which was the start of Christmas Vacation

Before heading home they stopped at Marie's diner for a quick bite to eat

"I think I need to lay down when I get home I think I over did it my belly muscles hurt and my legs are huge. Matt would be furious I forgot to put on the pressure stockings." Lisa said as she looked at her legs she then looked at her cell as she got in the van the cell was dead and she left her charger on the bureau "I guess I will call Matt when I get home Wow it is 2:30 wow how did time get away from us.

They drove to the ranch and the kids hopped out Lisa could hear the house phone ringing Ethan ran into the house quickly and answered it he came outside with the cordless phone "Mama, its daddy" he said and handed her the phone.

Lisa took the phone. Hi Mattie we are just getting back I am not even out of the van yet"

"Where have you been? Your cell is off I have been trying to get in touch with you for 2 hours"

"What's wrong Mattie?"

"Oh nothing is wrong I just wanted you to know that Sarah signed all the papers and the pediatrician checked Jacob out thoroughly and since there is no circumcision to be done, I am assuming since Ethan and I aren't we don't want Jacob done, anyway he has been officially discharged and I can take him home, Me, dad Ruthie and John Michaels the attorney are at LAX now our flight leaves in 30 minutes "

"So what time do we need to meet you at the airport?" She asked

"Hopefully we will land by and be disembarked by 4:30pm, and he gave her the flight info" he told her

"Your mom will have to take the Van. to meet you I can't drive anymore.I can't fit behind the wheel. I love you and I will see you when you get back." she hung up and then got out of the Van, The kids got out all the bags from the car.

I need you to put the birthday stuff in my office and then I need the 4 of you to put up all the it's a boy stuff and welcome home baby Jacob banner they will be at the airport at 4:30 "

"TODAY!" Annie exclaimed,

"Yup you will need to go to the airport" and she handed her the paper with the flight info on it I need to lay down Ethan can you put my phone on the charger upstairs oh and bring me my white pressure stockings when you come back down. Lisa said as she lay on the couch with her feet up. "Hopefully the swelling in my legs will go down by the time Matt comes home"

Annie left at 3:45 to head to the airport the kids busied themselves with decorating the house for the baby.

"Hey Ethan I hate t make you do so much running around, But do you think you and maybe Emma can help get one of the baby swings from the nursery down here

Lisa called to talk to Becky " hey Becky I just wanted you to know that Matt is on his way home with Jacob"

"So soon I thought it wasn't going to be until tomorrow or Monday?" Becky said

"That's what I thought too I am not ready yet if I had known sooner I would have prepared but Annie the kids and I were out shopping for the kid's birthday next week we spent the day running around, I must say I over did it I even for got to put on the stockings and now I look like I have elephant legs I am hoping with my legs up the swelling will go down I have had them up for over an hour but they haven't gone down much,"

"I will call Circle 7 and let everyone know And then I will be over with Billy" Becky said and she hung up and called Circle 7 Hannah answered and Becky relayed the news.

The kids were a flurry of activity and had even some blue balloon blown up and the two Mylar it's a boy balloons were placed one was outside and tied to the mail box so Matt could see it when they van pulled in

Lisa started to doze off when she heard the jeep pull up with Crane Becky and baby Billy

"Hey kids you did a great" job Crane told them

"Hey Becky it's almost 4:30 now can you out the 2 of the 4 pans of lasagna in the oven for me and the garlic bread"

"Sure" she said as she handed Billy to Crane "Hey Ethan can you grab Billy's bouncy seat from the jeep"

Ethan ran and got it and Crane put the baby down

"It's hard to believe he is 3 1/2 months old now, time flies Crane said hey its really warm in here are you sure you want you legs covered you're not cold are you?"

"No she isn't cold she is hiding her legs from Matt" then she pulled the blanket off her legs' Oh Lisa you weren't kidding when you said your legs were swollen, Matt is going to flip" she said

"Yeah I know, Hey Crane you are pretty strong Here" she handed him the stockings "get these on me would you" Lisa asked

"You've got to be kidding right these wont fit you when your legs are this swollen" he replied

"They do stretch please try PLEEASSE..." she begged

After about 15 minutes Crane somehow managed to get them both on her and just in time too The van got just got there

"My legs are still swollen cover me up again hurry" Lisa said

Crane went out to help with the bags Matt lifted Jacob Out of his car seat and had the Diaper bag on his shoulder Ruthie brought in the baby carrier

"Daddy can we see him" Emma asked,

"Let me get him inside first, and you guys did a great job decorating for Jacob"

Matt brought Jacob in and handed him to Lisa

"Oh Mattie he is so beautiful" she said as she caressed his check and kissed his head and breathed his baby scent in he started to whimper a bit

"Let me heat up a bottle and you can feed him I will right back," Matt said

Annie took the baby so Lisa could re-adjust on the couch a little and Becky covered her legs back up and Annie handed Jacob back to Lisa and a minute later Matt brought the bottle out and handed her it along with a burp cloth

"Are you cold honey because it is actually kind of warm in here and you look a little flush do you really need the blanket on "and he went to remove it

"No leave it I am a bit cold that's why they blanket is there"

"You are not getting sick he asked as he felt her head,"

No I am just cold the door has been opened a lot and I was chilly"

Lisa was actually sweating to death but there was no way that she was going to let Matt see her legs the size of an elephant so she kept covered up. She finished feeding Jacob and Burped him and as she held him she felt him pooping in his diaper.

"Mattie he made you a present"

Matt took him over the changing table and Lisa whispered to Crane, "Turn the heat down a bit I am roasting"

"I will but you can always just take the blanket off your legs" he teased

"No thanks besides Mattie doesn't need to be worrying about me at the moment he does that to much already"

Matt overheard part of the conversation and handed the baby back to Lisa" And why am I suppose to be worrying about you what's going on"

"Uhm.. Nothing" Lisa said

Matt looked at Crane and Crane said "I am not getting involved in this" and he went over to the bouncy to play with Billy

"Oh Crane is just being over protective he is still like that with me" Becky said

"Uhm ya sure you two are terrible liars" and then he looked at Lisa's legs again " I bet it has something to do with this he said as he grabbed the blankets from her legs and saw how swelled they were. "I should have known"

I was just up a little too much today we did a lot of shopping and..." He cut her off

"You forgot to put the support stockings on and then got them on once you got home right"

"Yeah guilty" Lisa said sheepishly But since I have been home I have been good My feet have been elevated"

"Sure and that was in effort to get the swelling down BEFORE I GOT HOME right. you don't have to answer that was a rhetorical question I know you far to well my love and no I am not mad I just get so frustrated with you sometimes, so you are to have your feet up until at least tomorrow except for the bathroom no moving until bedtime " Crane took Matt aside

"Hey the rest of the family wanted to come by after dinner to see the baby but we wanted to check with you first"

"No that's fine as long as no one is sick they can come over for an hour or so"

After Dinner and Matt called Circle 7 and everyone came over to see the baby they stayed for only an hour then Lisa fed the baby again as Matt Brian and Crane went out to shut the ranch down for the night. When they were done everyone went home

Ruthie put her things Emma's room Eric's stuff was in the room Annie was in and the 3rd small play room had a futon in it and John the attorney was put in there. Annie made sure there where enough bottle made and mat went to the master bedroom and put the bassinet in the room and any supplies that would be needed in the middle of the night. Matt took Jacob from Lisa after she was finished feeding him burped him and changed him and brought him upstairs and came back down for Lisa

"Hey Mattie, can you grab the Supplemental Nursing System and the breast pump and bring them upstairs then next feeding I want to try it we will need formula too when he is ready for his next feeding of course I just want to try the thing out" Lisa asked him

"Sure honey" He said as he grabbed the kit and pump and brought it to up stairs when he came back down he said "anything else other than locking the doors" which he proceeded to do

"Nope I think that about does it, Hey pull me up" she asked and he pulled her to her feet,

"Your legs look better lets get you upstairs to bed my love"

He brought her upstairs and they went to bed

Lisa forgot to test her sugar

Around Midnight Jacob woke for another feeding Matt went to get a bottle and then Lisa took out the SNS kit and put the formula in the bottle attached to the tubes and helped Jacob latch on to her breast, it took a little bit because Jacob was already used to the bottle but once he was latched on she put the small tube in his mouth and he suck on that and her breast she put the bottle under her bra strap so she didn't have to hold it She was nursing the baby She was so happy. she hoped in time she would produce milked before she delivered

Matt watched as Lisa bonded with Jacob REALLY bonded with him in the most intimate way a mother could, He never told her but he did have some concerns on whether she would be able to fully bond with him as she did with Emma and Ethan and would with the triplets but watching her tonight he no longer had any doubt about her bonding with Jacob.

**Sunday Morning**

They were all up early Lisa nursed Jacob for the 3rd time again still using the SNS system she was happy that she was having a little discharge from her breasts so something was starting When she was done she gave him to Matt so he could do the diapering duty and she got up out of bed to take a shower

"Hey not so fast , where do you think you are going, Pressure stockings remember" he told her

"I am going to the bathroom" she said as she grabbed her robe, not mentioning that she was going to take a shower too

She went in and shut the door used the bathroom then stripped she listened for Matt he was in the sitting with Jacob in the rocking chair . She turned on the water and climbed in and washed up and washed her hair she was done put her underwear on and the robe and went back to lay on the bed.

"That was more than just going to the bathroom Mrs Camden" He said

"I know but I really needed a shower, but I am back on the bed again so when you are done with our gorgeous son can you put him down and help me again put on the torture devices"

"Torture devices?" Matt questioned

"The pressure stockings" Lisa replied

"Oh those yeah let me put him down and I will help you with them, " he put Jacob down and helped her with the stockings "I heard the kids up they must have gone out for chores already.

" I bet they had Sam and David help to they love it here and they are a big help, You know Mattie I don't think I feel up for church today I think I will just stay home with Jacob while everyone else goes,"

"I will stay behind too he added Emma and Ethan can go with mom and dad"

"No its ok you can go Jacob and I will be fine just set me up on the couch downstairs bring his bouncy seat and bassinet down and we will be fine, You should Have Lucy, Kevin and the kids back at the ranch after church too"

"Well I will have mom or dad pass the message on when they go I just think I had better stay here I don't want to leave you alone"

"So what you don't trust me alone with Jacob," Lisa said as she started to get upset

"No baby its not that even if Jacob wasn't here I wouldn't want you to be left alone pregnant with triplets this far along besides you said it yourself you are having trouble moving around I can get the formula and change him and you can feed him and of course I trust you with him you are his mother" he said as he bent down to kiss her. Do you want to go downstairs and we can all get breakfast ready well mom and I can YOU will be sitting with your feet up.

he went and brought some things downstairs and Lisa took the glucometer out of the bedside table and tested her sugar it was 90 so it was ok for now she didn't want to tell Matt yet she hid it in her sweatshirt pocket to bring downstairs Matt came back up to get her

He helped her downstairs and lay her on the couch then brought Jacob down and than any supplies needed for him including the SNS kit there were diapers and other supplies already in the changing table that was in the living room, Annie Eric and Ruthie were in the kitchen already making breakfast Matt went into help,

"Emma and Sam already brought the eggs and went back to clean the coop and feed them and David and Ethan went to milk the cows and feed them and the horses then after breakfast the 4 of them along with Cranes help and yours of course will muck out all the stalls. Lisa heard foot steps coming down the stairs it was the attorney John Michaels

"Good morning Lisa" he said

Oh hi did you sleep well?" She asked

"Terrific this place is wonderful so quiet. Hey do you have a few minutes so I can get you to sign the adoption paperwork I can also notarize it and I also have the paperwork to submit to the Glen Oak town hall so they can mail you a copy of the new birth certificate"

"Sure that would be wonderful" she said

Lisa went over all the paperwork with him and Matt walked in the room

"Getting the paperwork done I see good" Matt said as watched her sign everything and then John notarized everything and it was official Everything was signed in triplicate and notarized the same way.

I was wondering if after church I could get a lift back to the airport I already have a flight for 2 pm John said not that I don't like the visit but I would like to get home to my own family"

"Sure I will see if my mom and dad will take you Lisa and I aren't going not with the new baby and all plus Lisa isn't feeling up to going anywhere,"

Eric was coming in to tell them that breakfast was ready and over heard the request,

"No problem John just throw you bag in the van before we go to church and we will get you there right after" then he turned to Matt, So you not going to church?"

"No Jacob is to little yet and also Lisa isn't feeling so great But we would appreciate it if you took Emma and Ethan you can take the van and the explorer My car for obvious reasons is put away in the barn I don't really want to use it with snow in the ground."

They kids came in they ate breakfast and then got ready for church. Shortly before 10 they too the two vehicles and headed for church leaving Lisa Matt and the baby behind. They weren't alone long before Jacob began to whimper"

"Matt picked him up Oh does he have a full diaper and I bet you are hungry aren't you yes... yes you are" he said in a high pitched baby talk kind of voice

He handed Jacob to Lisa and went to heat up the formula then he attached the SNS container to the tubing and then Lisa had Jacob latch on to her breast and then inserted the thin tube and nursed him When he was done Matt burped him

Matt fixed Lunch and He and Lisa ate but then he made more for when everyone came home.

Everyone arrived home by 1 pm including Kevin Lucy and their kids Everyone ate and enjoyed themselves and they all took turns holding Jacob they also gathered together to make more party plans and Emma and Ethan wrote out their invitations for school. Later after dinner after Lucy and Kevin headed home they settled in bed early

Monday would be back to normal again and with the twins birthday coming up and soon after Christmas it would be a busy week. At some point the Christmas stuff would need to be taken out of the attic and Matt would be seeing patients again at the home office. And Lisa still didn't tell Mattie about the diabetes she hoped Dr Willoughby wouldn't

* * *

"

THANK YOU all for PMing me with the vote on whether the baby was to be a boy or a girl I went with the popular choice it 85% in favor of a boy only 15% in favor of a girl


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18 **

**Monday Morning**

"_The busy week begins_" Lisa thought to herself as put Jacob down and then she lay back down after feeding and changing him

Matt was coming out of the bathroom after taking a shower, "Wow you are done with him already he sucked that 6 oz. down fast didn't he?"

"Yup he was a hungry boy," then she lay on her side and tried to get comfortable "Boy am I sore"

Matt grabbed some lotion and helped her out of her clothes "Let me massage you before you take a shower"

He squirted the lotion in his hands and rubbed them together then he slowly massaged her shoulders and neck she moaned a bit then her moved to her lower back. He continued for a while.

"You keep doing that and I could fall asleep, I really should get up and take shower"

"Hey do you need help in the shower?"

"Yeah I just might I am finding it harder and harder to move" she said as she tried to get into a sitting position

"Here let me pull you up" he said as he grabbed her hands

"Pretty soon you will need a fork lift" she complained

"You are not that big you have only gained 35 pounds"

"Well you gain or strap on 35 pounds to your belly and see how well you move"

"Oh your a bit testy this morning" he teased "and after I gave you that nice massage"

"Yup its called lack of sleep and being uncomfortable and then she said pointing to her belly "YOU did this to me"

Matt remembered when his mother was pregnant and some conversations he had with his father when his mother was acting like Lisa is now He told him never argue with a pregnant woman and do what ever she asks

"Well I am sorry you are uncomfortable honey, let me help you in the shower and I will wash you up"

After they were done in the shower he helped her get dressed Lisa looked at the clock it was already 6 am "Hey Mattie are the kids up yet?"

"Oh they have been up since about 4:30, I think everything is all done except for breakfast which I think mom and dad are working on now"

They went downstairs with the baby and Matt put him in the baby swing they ate and the kids got ready for school they remembered to bring the party invitations to give to their classmates The bus came and then Matt went to his office to see his first patient for 9 am Lisa and Annie busied themselves with party plans and Eric and Ruthie got the Christmas decorations out of the Attic by then end of the day most of the decorations were up except for the Christmas tree which would go up over the weekend when Matt and the Kids would go with some of the McFaddens to go and cut a tree down.

**Tuesday** was spent getting the house ready for the arrival of Lisa's Family and Lisa gave Annie a list of things she wanted to get for the kids Tuesday night after the kids went to bed Lisa, Annie and Ruthie Wrapped all the Birthday presents and then tried to make a dent in the Christmas wrapping

Early **Wednesday** Morning Lisa just as she got up she got a call from her father who told them they were at the airport and would be at the Reno airport this time by 2:30 pm Pacific time and that they would rent a car and head to the ranch right from the airport

"Boy won't my family be shocked at how big I am" Lisa said as she put Jacob down after feeding him I am as big as a whale and feel like a beached whale too."

"Oh Lisa you are 29 weeks pregnant with Triplets what do you expect, but you are still very beautiful and glowing" Eric told her

"Well I'm not glowing its called sweat" she said as she laughed "I talked to my dad and they should be landing in Reno at 2:30 so they should be here by the time the kids get home from school, I just need to get the beds in the bunk house done and the have the sheets put on the extra blow up mattresses in Emma and Ethan's room"

"Well you don't need to Worry about that, Annie said "Ruthie and Eric will fix up the bunk house" she said as she handed them all the sheets and blankets , "and I will handle the blow up mattresses. You just sit here and take care of Jacob"

The bus dropped the kids off just as the Van with Lisa's family pulled in Emma and Ethan ran over to them. They hugged them all and walked into the house where Lisa was just finishing changing Jacob.

"Hi come on in" Lisa said

"Oh let me see that baby" Lisa's dad said to her and then you sit down" Her dad picked him up "He sure looks like Matt what a good looking boy

Yes he is everyone took turns holding him he finally fell asleep in uncle Ridge's arms

"Hey I will need some help getting some things set up for the twins party tomorrow and as I can't move around to well I think I will take the baby back and put everyone to work "Lisa said

"We are here to serve Sissy" Ridge said as he got up and handed Jacob back to Lisa

Well if you go into my office there are the party supplies and in one of the boxes I have it marked scavenger hunt I already have everything labeled and which clues go where I was wondering if while the kids were out at the stables you could hide the clues and then the treasure chest will be last. The adults had it taken care of before The kids came in the house once they were done Lisa's family went and took their Luggage to the bunk house

Once they got to the Bunk house Eric F said "I don't think you should say anything to Lisa or anyone else about your mum and me"

"She is going to find out about it sooner or later dad" Thorne said

"But later is better preferably after the triplets are born, she doesn't need the added stress I think she is under enough as it is" Ridge replied

"He is right you know she was already pretty upset that I told her that mum and I were taking a break from one another over the holiday, when she finds out about the divorce you know she is going to blame herself, no matter what we say to her so I am waiting Lets just hope you mother can keep her mouth shut" Eric F said Well now that we have that settled and our luggage out of the way lets get back to the house

Matt was already home when they got back to the house all the kids were out side with Ruthie at the stables with the horses

"Boy tomorrow we have so much to do when the kids go to school for the half day Maybe after dinner we should decorate the house So tomorrow we can do a bit of cooking and then we can run a to Safeway for all the party platters Ice cream and drinks and to Cake Tahoe for the two birthday cakes We will have to hang he piñata too that is probably best hung in the barn"

"Don't worry honey it will get done I am not working tomorrow Dr Willoughby is covering for me and will be by later in the afternoon to pick up his son Toby You do know we are going to have like 20 kids here"

"Yes I know But it will be fun for every one I may not stay downstairs for the whole party of go outside for the activities but I will enjoy what I can, I do think we should keep baby Jacob away from a lot of it because he is so little I don't want him exposed to a lot of the kids if we don't have too"

"I agree" he said

They all ate dinner and got all the streamers hung in the house and in the barn for tomorrow Lisa was really feeling rather out of sorts and had Annie help her with Jacob and bring him upstairs and while every one else in the house busied themselves with party decorating Lisa fed Jacob and then Annie helped her bath him and changed him put him to bed and then Lisa herself lay in the bed. She was more than a bit uncomfortable so She didn't want to push herself

As Matt was helping set things up and looked around "Where is Lisa?"

No one seemed to know where she and Jacob went until Annie came from the stairs

"She is upstairs she fed him and then we bathed and changed him and put him down, She wasn't feeling so great so she went to bed herself"

"is she ok? Matt asked should I check on her?"

"She is just over tired, she is just playing it safe she is after all pregnant with triplets she knows her body's limitations and didn't want to push herself too far that's all. But if it will make you feel better yeah go check on her"

He went upstairs to find Lisa tossing about the bed

"Uncomfortable right and over did it?" he asked

"Yes and no Uncomfortable yes, but no I didn't over do it I came up when I realized I would be if I didn't come and lie down on my side my back and belly are hurting"

"Here let me help you out of your clothes and I will massage your body to help you feel more comfortable" then he thought to himself "_Lisa is going to love her Christmas gift the massage chair she could recline in it all day long and be massaged so hopefully making the rest of her pregnancy more bearable_"

He got her laying comfortably on her back first he massaged her belly her thighs her lower legs and feet then he help her roll on her side and spent a good half hour massaging her neck shoulders and back until she fell asleep. He checked on Jacob who was sleeping and then went back downstairs with everyone else.

"You were up there awhile, is she asleep ?" Eric F. asked

"Yeah finally she is so uncomfortable and she has a ways to go yet. I rubbed her lower back until she fell asleep." he said I am not sure how much of the party she is going to be up for, I think pretty soon I am going to have to put her on bed rest Everything is getting too much for her."

"Don't worry we wont let her over do it tomorrow or through the Holidays I like to take charge of everything" Annie said

They hung out for the rest of the Evening and then some of them went out and shut the ranch down for the night the kids took their showers and went to bed Matt went upstairs and got undressed and crawled into bed with Lisa

Lisa woke up as Matt got himself comfortable "Hey she said and she kissed him I forgot to tell you someone else has to do morning chores I always let Emma and Ethan sleep in on their birthdays as a birthday present no chores, so get my brothers up tomorrow make them work"

"Ok I will get up extra early I am sure your brothers will help I bet Sam and David and Chase and Bridget will want to help the chores are a novelty for them so they like it"

"Thanks honey I wish I could help but I can't Oh and I have all the stuff in the Kitchen for Chocolate chip and Banana pancakes also their favorite I told you mom"

"You think of everything you are such a good mother"

He snuggled against her and they fell asleep he was even good enough to let her sleep when Jacob woke up for a feeding he took care of it and then when he was done crawled back into bed

**The Next day December 20th Happy 10th Birthday Emma and Ethan**

The alarm went off at 4:30 Matt shut it off quickly so Lisa wasn't woken up he went to the bathroom and pulled on his clothes and then grabbed his cell phone and called Ridge to wake them up

He dialed Ridge after 2 rings he answered "Hello"

"Good you are up, get Thorne and maybe your dad up we have work to do Lisa told me because it is there birthday Emma and Ethan don't do ANY chores today as a birthday present. So your elected to help me, per her orders I will go make coffee be here in 10 minutes I will get your kids up and Sam and David"

Matt went downstairs to put coffee on when he went back upstairs him mother was just getting up

"Good morning Matt I was just going to get things ready for breakfast I have chocolate chip pancakes to make"

"I just put the coffee on I am heading up to wake up the kids well except for Emma and Ethan they don't have chores to do today"

He went in Emma's room first woke up Ruthie, Go help mom make breakfast and Bridget heard him too and said she would help, But don't wake up Emma yet she can sleep a little later."

He then went into the boys room and woke up Chase and Sam and David but let Ethan sleep they were down by the time Ridge and Thorne got to the house for coffee They had all the chores done by 6:15 and were back at the house by then Matt went up to wake the Emma and Ethan for school they were already up and dressed and they were in the master bedroom sitting on the bed with Lisa

"Are you sure you are ok Mama we should get daddy" Emma said

"Get me for what" Matt said as he walked in the room

"She is having pains" Ethan said

I am fine really, why don't you guys let me give you a birthday hug and kiss and then go down and see grandma and your 2 grandpas I am sure they are making you pancakes by now" she told them

They hugged her and went downstairs Matt shut the door behind them "Ok I know you didn't want to worry them but you need to tell ME what's going on where is the pain" he asked

"I am ok Matt really its just normal well x 3 pain they are killing my insides I am not having cramps or contractions or anything here feel" She grabbed his hands and placed them on her swollen belly "See how active they are today and well it hurts a lot he got closer to her "Oh boy do you need a shower and but before you do you need a hair cut"

"But its getting longer again, I like it a little longer"

"Yeah I know that's why you need a haircut" He went to protest "Never argue with a pregnant woman"

He went to get the clippers and all the stuff he would need for a shower. "Hey when your done with my hair you want to take a shower with me?"

"I don't know can I still fit in the shower with you?"

"We will try" he said

She cut his hair same as before then shook out the cape and then he locked the bedroom door and left the bathroom door open to listen for Jacob and took a shower they got dressed. He had her lay on the bed and went to put on the support stockings when she really groaned in pain"

"Where is the pain Lisa" he asked her as he started to undress her from the waist down

"Lower belly" she grimaced

As he took her panties off there was a little blood stain " I need to get some things from my office I will be right back don't move"

Matt flew down the stairs past everyone without as much as a word He ran to his office and gathered the speculum and portable Doppler and ultrasound and several other things he needed he needed help with the things he poked his head out and since Ridge was the closest he grabbed him

"Help me bring this stuff upstairs I need to check Lisa out" Ridged helped him bring the stuff up being careful not to alert anyone in the kitchen He didn't want to upset the kids

"Oh Lisa is naked from the waist down just so you wont be shocked or anything when we get to the room"

They walked in the room Lisa had partially covered herself "Do you still have pain?"

"Yeah" its not as bad as before.

"Ok I am going to check you out he said has he plugged in the ultrasound equipment and then an internal exam

"I think I will go back downstairs" Ridge said

"No Please stay Sit up here by my head" she asked

Ridged locked the door and then sat down by her head as she asked Matt draped her as best her could

"Ok let me listen for all 3 heart beats" which he heard "OK they are fine "Then he took his time and did the ultrasound Honey it looks fine "

He grabbed a large flashlight and had her pull her legs up and apart as he inserted the speculum and had a look and felt her internally, he didn't say anything

"Your not saying anything this time what is it?"

"You are officially on bed rest you are only to get up to go to the bathroom or if I carry you to get washed up nothing and I mean nothing else, from now until you deliver I will be seeing all patients from home for now too."

"What's wrong,"

"You are 1 cm dilated and you lost your mucous plug. If I let you leave this room you will be carried to the couch that is it and I hate to do this sweetie no more breast feeding it can stimulate contractions since you are already dilating"

Lisa was heart broken she wanted so much to have that bond with Jacob she started to cry and she hugged Ridge

Matt helped clean her up and put he slid new panties on her. then he held her close "SShhhh don't cry You knew you would have to be on Bed rest we just didn't think it would be this soon.

"I am not crying about the bed rest, but about the breast feeding I was starting to produce milk" she sobbed

"I know honey but you don't want to go into labor do you?" she shook her head no Just then Jacob started to whimper and Lisa started to cry

"I will go down and get a bottle" Ridge said as he quickly left the room he wasn't comfortable being surrounded by crying

Matt changed Jacob and When Ridge came back a few minutes later Matt took the bottle and asked Lisa if she wanted to feed him she did and took Jacob,

"At least I can still do this much" Lisa said

Ridge went back downstairs to help with breakfast Matt sat next to Lisa on the bed and then took Jacob when she was finished

"Matt there is so much to do today to get ready for the party"

"And you are not going to do any of it"

"But..."

"But nothing you need to keep those babies inside you for at least another month. Look make a list it will get done I will also have someone sit with you up here to so you aren't alone with Jacob so when he cries they can give him to you I will also run out to get you a commode at some point today"

"Oh gross"

"Would you rather a bedpan" he asked her

"No"

"I will be right back I will get you some breakfast"

"Can you send the kids up I want to see them before they head off to school" she asked

Before anyone came up she again tested her sugar "_Hmm 140 and before breakfast that's a little high for not have eaten yet_" she thought to herself and then hid the glucometer and lancets and other supplies in the bedside table drawer.

Matt went downstairs and told Emma and Ethan to go upstairs and say good bye to mama They ran up and were back down for their bus just as Matt was heading up to give her breakfast

Lisa made a list of everything that needed to get done before the kids came home she also made a list of how the party was to go once the kids got home

Matt gave out the to do lists Annie Ruthie and Eric C Went to Safeway to pick up all the party platters and the other stuff including Balloons Soda and Ice cream , Thorne Eric F. and Macy went to Cake Tahoe to get the two cakes and a whole lot of cupcakes and make a couple of other stops Ridge went upstairs to sit with his sister Brooke, Bridget and Chase continued to get the house ready for the party Matt went to the Home medical supply store to pick up a commode and some other things Lisa might need since she needed to be on bed rest

Matt was the first one home he brought the stuff upstairs Lisa was actually asleep and Ridge was laying beside her she had her back to him and he was rubbing her back

Matt whispered "How has she been,?"

"Uncomfortable" he whispered back to him then eased off the bed "This is so hard for her, I am so sad that she had to go through a twin pregnancy with out any of us before"

"me too so wish I had known" Matt replied When she wakes up I will help her change and I when it gets closer to party time I will carry her down to the couch she is to be completely off her feet. oh how's the baby been?"

"a little fussy" he replied then hesitated "I have to tell you something you wont like I handed him to her when he woke up and went down to get a bottle when I came back up she had him to her breast she said she only wanted a brief contact and I made her stop and handed her the bottle for him, You can't get mad at her though she can't be upset"

"Don't you think I know that I am not only her husband I am her doctor" Matt said as he sat on the chair next to Jacob

I will go downstairs and see what else I can do before everyone gets home.

Everyone arrived home and started to finished setting everything in order for the party and then Kevin Lucy and the kids got there about a half hour before the school bus was scheduled to arrive home it was an early release day shortly before the bus arrived all the McFaddens got there Lisa woke up and Matt only slightly got mad at her for breast feeding she promised she would stop doing that and then Matt kissed her on the cheek

"I only want to keep you and these babies safe he said as he rubbed her belly

A short while later Lisa and Matt heard the commotion downstairs and she realized that everyone had arrived and she wanted to be a part of it.

"Ok let me let me bring Jacob down and put him in his swing I will then come back for pillows and a blanket and then come back to carry you down ok"

"Yup"

Matt brought the baby down and then went to get stuff for the couch he advised everyone of that didn't already know what was going on and then went back up and carried Lisa down and lay her on the couch, he helped her get comfortable

"I am very pleased at how the house turned out thank you so much every one for doing what I couldn't I am going to need a lot more help in the coming weeks since Doctor Matt wants me on bed rest" she glared at him then she gave him a wink to let him know she wasn't mad. She looked at the clock its going to get crazy here in a few the bus will be here and more than half of the invited kids will be on the bus and the others will be arriving shortly after

with in 15 minutes the house was filled with kids and noise the every one was starving so they ate first then they opened presents the kids loved their new saddles and everything else they got they were polite and thanked every one for their gifts then the kids organized into teams and were given the list for the scavenger hunt, the adults helped, that took an hour or so Finally one of the teams found the treasure chest filled with goodies and little toys but the team that found it shared with everyone else.

Lisa stayed on the couch as the kids and most everyone else went outside again into the barn for the piñata only the women with babies stayed in with Lisa (Becky, Hannah, Kelley, and Lucy) they wanted to stay in partly for Lisa and it was also to cold for the babies . They came in a while later all excited that Bridget broke open the piñata.

The cakes were brought out after that and every one sang Happy birthday to Emma and Ethan then they ate the cake and Ice cream Parents came and picked the kids up around 4:30

After they left Lisa looked at her disaster of a house and said "The good thing about being on bed rest is that I don't have to be the one to clean this"

Every one in the room laughed

"Hey Mattie"

"Yeah baby what do you need?"

Lisa knew she over did it and certainly should not have eaten the cake "I think I need to go upstairs and lie down this couch isn't the most comfortable and I really am tired. Can you bring the stuff up for the baby and then come and bring me up."

"I can bring you up first"

"No that's ok bring him up and settle him first"

"Okay" and went up stairs with the baby"

"Ridge, Thorne come here quick" she whispered

I need you to do something for me tomorrow and you may need help with distracting Matt Emma and Ethan I am getting their big Christmas presents delivered tomorrow around 10 I need someone to get them away from the house and them someone to meet with the delivery guy and have them out in the big barn in the back near matts car there is an empty area a room that used to be an office it has a pad lock on it I have the key "

"What is the gifts?" Thorne asked

"Oh I will tell you on a minute" she put her finger to her lips to shh them as she saw Matt come back down

"Let me bring all the supplies up and I will be back down for you" Matt said

He grabbed them and went up

"Ok I got the kids sizes for them and an adult size one for Mattie' I got them each a motorized ATV the kids got smaller ones all were Kawasaki 125cc ATV Fully Automatic Emma's is Purple and Ethan's is Blue. I got Matt and adult size 2007 Kawasaki KFX®50 green "

"Oh that's awesome Ridge said very loud,"

"Shh don't tell Mattie or the kids "

What's awesome and don't tell Mattie what" he asked as he scooped her up

They all replied in unison "Nothing"

Uh huh, What's going on what don't you want me to know about"

"Nothing you can know about now you have to wait until Christmas"

"Oh its nothing about your health your not being sneaky"

"Well its not about my health but I am afraid I am being sneaky" sorry I need help since I can't do it on my own"

"I won't ask I will be surprised, I wont be like I was on labor day"

He brought her upstairs and helped her undress It was still very early Lisa knew she wasn't feeling right she waited for him to go into the bathroom to test her sugar it was close to 350 she put it back in the drawer

and said out loud "no wonder I am having all kinds of crazy symptoms"

"What crazy symptoms are you having Matt asked as he exited the bathroom"

"Oh boy I know I should have told you before now, You neglected to do a test on me be cause of all the issues surrounding Sarah's pregnancy and Jacobs birth Dr Willoughby caught it and I went in the day Jacob was born it was a glucose tolerance test"

"Oh crap honey I am sorry"

"Its ok Mattie I had the test I almost told you Saturday but I didn't want to worry you and you have been so worried about me and Jacob since you got home I couldn't tell you and make you feel guilty or any more worried"

"So you have gestational diabetes "

"Yup and I have been testing and trying to follow the food guidelines but today I forgot and started to not feel well"

"What symptoms are you or were you having?" he asked

"Please don't be mad I know I should have told you" she pleaded

"Baby I am not mad what are they symptoms"

Well I have been more irritable and emotional today and then I started with increased thirst, nausea then I noticed some tingling in my hands, and then I started with a bit of the blurred vision, Look in my bedside drawer and look at the last reading

Matt pulled it out and pulled up the last reading seeing the 350 he panicked, "Has it been this high before?"

"No well this morning before I ate it was 140 the highest I have seen it was 250 look at the log I have been keeping, "

"You need to track way more than you have been doing, and there are a lot more high readings than there should be are you he pointed at some of the higher ones do you remember if this was before or after you ate, "

"Uhm before I think I think I need to get you in to the Truckee hospital tomorrow I want a fasting 5 hour timed glucose tolerance test to see where we are with this I am calling the appointment in now he picked up the phone and called the Hospital lab and ordered the test she needed to be in at 7 am I will have mom look after Jacob tomorrow"

"Can we take Emma and Ethan with us they can stay in the room with us while I wait they can watch TV please"

"Honey they will be bored to tears, why make them wait at the hospital all day while you are in for lab work? No they can stay home"

She had to convince him to let them go she made herself cry but I don't want to be there all day alone"

"you will have me in there with you " Matt told her

"Oh ya sure until staff knows your there and they pull you away on some emergency I want Emma and Ethan to go" and she cried

"Ok baby I will talk to them I will have the bring their new hand held video games and stay with us ok" I have some insulin in my locked cabinet in my office I am going to get the Novalog and give you an injection ok I will be back in a couple of minutes."

He went downstairs he had never seen her this irrational before but he wasn't going to argue with her she was upset enough as it was

"Emma, Ethan come with me to my office for minute" and they followed him I need to ask you a favor and I know you won't enjoy it but your mom is being irrational right now he told them as he unlocked the small fridge that held the medication and grabbed the Novalog and a needled and an alcohol pad Your mom needs some tests at the hospital tomorrow and she is insisting that you go and keep her company we will be there all morning and part of the afternoon"

"Why does she want us to go?" Ethan asked

"I don't know but I am not arguing with her when I told her I thought you guys could stay home she started to cry" he told them

"Ok daddy we will go we know everything is hard on her right now and if us going makes her happy we will" Emma said

"Thanks guys " he said as he went upstairs to give her an injection

"I have the insulin this should bring your sugar down He gave wiped her upper arm and injected her "I talked to the kids they said they would go tomorrow ok"

"Thanks I don't mean to be all emotional I just am"

"Its ok baby I cant even imagine how hard this for you so getting emotional is fine with me I will do anything to help you through this ok Now I am going to help the kids get the ranch shut down for the night and then I will be back up"

"Ok Can you have Ridge come and Sit with me while you are outside Just in case I need help with Jacob or if I need to use the Commode he is the only one here other than you I really feel comfortable with for that"

"Ok I will sent him up" He kissed her and went out

Hey Ridge I have a favor to ask you I have to take Lisa in for some Lab work tomorrow for her gestational diabetes and we will be gone all morning , I am expecting a delivery from Brookstone I made some space in my office next to my desk it a big reclining chair massager for Lisa for Christmas could you see it gets in there and lock my inside office door"

"Sure I will Hey is Lisa Ok"

Yes she just needs more lab work so we can determine the correct dosage of insulin for her that's all And thanks for doing this for me"

A few minutes later Ridge came up with a bottle because Jacob would be awake soon

"Hey Sissy I heard you gave your husband a scare, You have gestational diabetes now" he asked

Yeah I had the test on the 14th and have been monitoring the blood sugar today it sky rocketed and Mattie is bringing me in for lab work tomorrow morning and I am making Emma and Ethan go with me so that gets them away from the house for the delivery in the morning pretty Slick huh. Look in the upper draw in the big bureau give me the key ring Lisa took off one of the four keys for the padlock in the office in the barn here just make sure you lock it after delivery and put the key back Thanks

"No Problem" Ridge replied he tucked the key in his pocket and then he stayed with her helping her with Jacob until Matt came back then he went downstairs and headed to the bunk house.

Matt checked Lisa's sugar and it had come down quite a bit not normal but at least it wasn't so dangerously high, He took Jacob from her and lay him I his bassinet then he crawled into bed with her and they slept until Jacob woke up several hour later for another feeding.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

**Friday  
**

Matt got the kids up early so they could leave the house by 6:15 He went and fed the baby and changed him and then brought him into his parents room and woke his mother to let her know Jacob was in there and then Got Lisa up helped her up.

"Do you want to just braid my hair I don't feel like washing it this morning and help me wash up and get dressed. Hey where's the baby?

"He is in with my mum and dad And yes I will help you with everything

The four of them were all done and they left the house at 6:15 Matt carried Lisa out to the car Matt had called ahead to the Lab and explained the situation and the fact that she is on bed rest. A stretcher was waiting for her at the front entrance when they arrived at 6:45 Matt parked in the doctors parking near the front. Lisa was brought to the outpatient observation area and put in a bed The lab technician came in to give her the sicky sweet clear liquid it tasted like ultra sweet flat sprite and then the nurse got base line blood work

Lisa had to get blood drawn every hour, for five hours The kids were Antsy Matt put the TV on for them and they played their hand held games Around 9:30 am Lisa got a call on her cell.

"Hi Lisa said as she answered the phone"

"Hey its Ridge don't say anything I just wanted you to know your delivery has arrived and they are locked up where you told me and I put the key back

"Oh thanks for letting me know We will be here until sometime this afternoon talk to you later."

"Who was that Matt asked?"

"No one you need to know about, so never mind"

Lab work was done at 10 and 11 and Matt took the kids to the cafeteria to get a bite to eat While they were there Matt's phone rang it was Ridge

"Hey Matt its Ridge just calling to let you know you Present for Lisa has arrived and I put it where you asked me to put it"

"Well I got to go see you when you get back"

They were back up to the room in just in time for the Lab technician to take the last of the blood,

"I am starving do I get to eat now,?"

I will check at the desk and have them bring you up a diabetic tray

She was given insulin and then ate her lunch

Matt left for a while and left the kids with her to consult with an endocrinologist to get Lisa on the right kind of insulin protocol It was determined she would in deed need the Novalog The 2 of them as well as nutritionist came up with a very prescribed diet and insulin dosage schedule that Lisa would have to strictly adhere too

Matt was back in her room by 1:30 and he and the endocrinologist Dr White explained everything to her

"Whether I want to be this rigid or not I won't have a choice she laughed Look who I am married too and all the other mother hens living either with me or around so it wont be a problem Matt put the bottles on Novalog lancets needles and everything else he would need as well as all the paperwork in his briefcase and then Lisa was lifted on a stretcher and she was discharged from outpatient at 2 pm She was lifted into the car and then Emma and Ethan got in the back and they headed home.

They were home by 2:45 and the kids ran to the stables when they saw the other kids down there Ridge was at the door and held it open for Matt as he carried her in the house and put her on the couch and then called a family meeting

"Ok everyone Lisa's test result are showing that the triplets are putting to much strain on her body specifically her pancreas she isn't producing enough insulin to compensate for it"

"So what does that mean for her exactly Eric F (her father) asked"

"She is on a strict diet very portion controlled I will leave portion amounts and for each meal and snack and when they are to be given to her also she will take insulin 30 minutes before each big meal is served and her sugar is to be tested before the insulin is given and 30 minutes after she eats "

"Ok you know I am very good at following special food diet preparations I have been doing it for years for your father and his heart condition Annie told him

"Right now she is considered a brittle diabetic because of the severity because of the triplets " there can be no variance in this plan it has to be strictly adhered to this is per Dr White the endocrinologist "

Matt handed his mother a copy of the dietary outline and a copy if the insulin and glucose testing schedule .

They were very good at following it and making Lisa follow it

**Saturday** the McFaddens at Circle 7 Crane for his house and Matt and some of his family for Camdens Crossing And Kevin for h is house all set out to go and cut down Christmas trees By Late afternoon every one had a big tree and were bringing it back to their respective homes

Matt, Ridge and Thorne carried in an enormous Pine and set it in the stand and filled the stand with water

"Magnificent" Lisa said as she lay on the couch "Its perfect All the tree trimming decorations are in my office They took turns on who did what both grandpas put the lights on the tree then Annie Brooke and Macy put the tinsel and garland on Then everyone well except Lisa of course hung all the ornaments on the tree and last but not least the lighted angel was to go onto

Matt went to do it and Lisa frowned,

"Mama always puts the angel on top always" Emma said Matt scooped her up and handed her the angel and she gently placed the angel on top of the tree and plugged it in

then they turned the lights and everything on

"Wow" every one exclaimed it was beautiful

**Sunday** Everyone except Lisa, Matt and Jacob went to church

When they all got home everyone busied themselves doing something Lisa was happy to have been able to do all her online shopping and it was completed Lisa had Ridge take a picture of each ATV and She wrapped each picture in a box with instructions to look in the outside in the back She would have Ridge quietly put them in by the back door in the very early morning on Christmas and she finished with all her other wrapping and so did everyone else Church services were Christmas eve

"Mattie you have to let me go to church its Christmas Eve"

"Lisa You are on bed rest and Jacob shouldn't be around all those people yet"

"He wouldn't have to be and I could lay down, There was a room for nursing mothers that had a video feed and a couch I could lay on the couch and you could sit in there with me with Jacob, it is a big room I know Hannah and Becky will be in there and a lot of other new mothers. Please Its Christmas eve.

"Ok I will talk to Lucy about getting extra chairs in there. I will agree I will just carry you that's all" Matt said as he finally relented

"Oh thank you , thank you, thank you" Lisa exclaimed

Matt called Lucy and made sure everything was all set for the Christmas eve service for 7 pm

**Monday Christmas Eve**

Matt made Lisa rest most of the day since she was going to go the church that evening while everyone else busied themselves with getting things ready for dinner at 4:30 Simon and Cecelia had arrived as well as Carlos, Mary and their 3 kids They were staying at Lucy and Kevin's but were coming over for dinner that evening and also Christmas day.

Mid afternoon Matt helped Lisa get dressed and Ready and he lay out the Christmas eve clothes for Jacob and the clothes for Emma and Ethan that Lisa gave him about 3 he brought the baby down and put him in the swing and then got the couch ready for Lisa and carried her down

"You are going to get a hernia carrying me" she told him

"Your not that heavy you have gained only 35 pounds and you only started at around 110 your not heavy

Matt lay her on the couch and put her legs up on pillows he moved the baby swing close to Lisa around 3:30 the rest of Matt's family arrived at the house and of course they all ohhed and ahhed over the baby

"Its a good thing our house is huge we are bursting at the seams" Lisa said

Everyone was done eating by 6 and then everyone got ready for church Matt got the diaper bag ready and got himself changed and motivated the kids to get ready He brought Lisa to the bathroom one more time then lay her on the bed and they changed Jacob in to his Christmas eve clothes Matt wanted to get there early to make sure Lisa and the baby were situated ok Emma and Ethan went out to the van along with Ruthie for help then he put the baby in the car seat and carried him along with the diaper bag and put him in the van and Last but not least He carried Lisa out and sat her in the front seat and reclined the seat for her.

They arrived at the church just before 7 pm Ruthie and the twins got out and then Matt took the baby and the diaper bag in the church and Ruthie and the twins stayed in the mother's room with Jacob. Matt went back to the car to get Lisa, He scooped her up and carried her in and placed her on the couch.

"Are you guys going to stay in here with me and daddy or out in the main area with everyone else?" Lisa asked Emma and Ethan

"You don't mind if we go out there with auntie Ruthie?" Emma asked

"No not at all" Matt said

Emma and Ethan went into the main area with Ruthie the rest of the family started to arrive shortly after they sat down The church was packed and so was the mother's room Hannah with baby Kayla, Becky with baby Billy, Kelley with Dylan and some other new mothers arrived to use the room

"Mattie you don't have to stay in here with me you can go out with Emma and Ethan I will be fine" Lisa told him

"Not a chance I am leery about letting you out of the house so I am staying put" Matt told her

Service started promptly at 7:30 the TV was put on to receive the live feed it was long there was a living nativity just like the one they had in the Glen Oak church that acted out the Nativity story It was a very long service about half way through about 8:30 Matt could tell Lisa was VERY uncomfortable

"Honey is this to much for you" he asked

"Maybe a little" she replied

"Do you want to go home" He asked

"No I will try to stick it out" she said

Jacob began to whimper so Matt fed him and then changed him and put him back in his carrier then looked again at Lisa her eyes were all watery and it wasn't because she was all emotional from the service he could tell she was in pain

"Lisa your in pain aren't you" he asked

"Yeah but its not contractions or cramps its just I can't get comfortable I think this is too much" she told him

"Ok we are going home, can you ladies watch Jacob while I put Lisa in the van then I will come back for him, Let my mom and dad know so they can give Emma and Ethan and Ruthie a ride back,"

After saying that he brought the stuff out to the van opened the passenger door and then went back for Lisa put her in and then got Jacob

"I am sorry I didn't mean to wreck it for you Mattie I should have stuck it out a little longer" and the tears went down her face and she sobbed

"Shhh sweetie it's ok don't cry I am surprised you were able to stay this long" I will get you home and into bed, He got back to the Ranch about 10 minutes later "Let me bring in Jacob and put him upstairs and then I will be back for you" He brought him into the house took his Pram off and out him in his bassinet and then he went back for Lisa and carried her in the house and up to bed.

"I am not ready for sleep yet I just need to get into a comfortable position" she said as she sat on the bed He undressed her and put a large nighty on her and then she lay back and she rolled onto her side. I am having such bad sciatic pain its shooting down my legs"

"Ok I will be right back," He ran downstairs and brought an ottoman from the living room upstairs and put it on the bed he shut and locked the door, "Ok let me help you out of your underwear" Matt said

"Why, what are you going to do?" she asked as she watched him put a soft blanket over the ottoman

"I want you to get on all fours and lean over the ottoman and I am going to massage your lower back and buttocks area and upper thigh" he told her as he grabbed some lotion.

He helped her into position and massaged her for a good half hour she actually almost fell asleep in that position, he gently moved her which woke her totally up again then he lay her on her side and covered her up,

"I need to talk to Ridge or Thorne in private I think I hear everyone coming in from church" she told him

"Private huh why what's up Matt asked

"I am not telling I have to talk to them about you and the kids presents"

"Fine but your not the only one with a secret" he said as he started to leave the room,

"Hey Mattie after the kids are asleep you have to go in the big storage closet in my office and put out presents with you mom and dad and there is a bag with stocking stuffers properly labeled who gets what,"

"Ok no problem baby"

"Now can you sent up my brothers please" Lisa asked

"Sure and I will grab the kids and whomever else I can find and shut the ranch down for the night"

Matt went down stairs and a few minutes later Ridge and Thorne were up stairs

"Matt said you wanted to see us" Thorne asked

"I know what it is about" Ridge said "What time do you want us up to move the gifts by the back sliding door" Ridge asked

"Is 3 or 3:30 am to early and take a rifle remember sometimes wild animals Oh and look in my bottom drawer There is a bag with 3 red ribbons and 3 big tags with Matt Emma and Ethan's name on them Remember Matt's is the big green one Emma's is the Purple one and Ethan's is the Blue one Grab the key out of my top drawer Oh and I will call you on the cell at 3 am to make sure you are awake"

"Ok Sissy no problem Oh where are all the presents we mailed to be put under the tree?" Thorne asked

"Oh they are all in my office Mattie knows where" Lisa replied "that's to be done after the kids go to bed" she told them

"Well waiting for the kids to go to bed we kinda figured" Ridge replied

"Hey Jacob will be awake soon can you have Mattie bring up a bottle when you go down"

"Sure we will tell him" They both replied

They kissed her goodnight and then went back downstairs. They let actually let Annie know about the bottle since Matt was still outside with the kids closing down the ranch Annie brought a bottle to Lisa and helped her with Jacob Then a bit later everyone came in and then the kids got ready for bed.

By 10:30 all the kids were asleep and the all the adults put out all the kids and adults presents Thorne and Ridge made sure that the 3 special boxes for Matt, Emma and Ethan with the a note with directions to look out back to the left of the sliding door Ridge helped Matt with Lisa's big present and put it on the further side of the tree covered with a big plastic bag with a big purple bow.

Lisa had already finished with Jacob and he was in bed next to her and they were both asleep She had set her bedside alarm for 3 am and put her cell phone right next to the bed Matt came into the room just before midnight put Jacob in his bassinet an crawled into bed

The alarm went off at 3 am Lisa quickly shut it off and got up and took the cell phone with her into the bathroom so not to wake Matt up she dialed Ridge

Ridge answered "Yeah I am up I will get Thorne up and I already grabbed a rifle before we came to the bunk house ant 11:30"

Ridge and Thorne and Eric F went to the back barn with Rifle and flashlights in hand along with the Ribbon and tags and went to the old office and undid the padlock and put the ribbon and appropriate tags on each ATV they put gas in all 3 they were glad there was no snow on the ground so they could be used in the morning, They didn't want to start them now they would wake everyone up so they walked them over to the house and put them just where Lisa had told them too the blinds were closed so they wouldn't be seen by anyone when they got up then they walked back to the bunk house to get an hour more of sleep then they would get up and get the eggs and milk the cows so the kids wouldn't have to go out and do it.

Lisa was awake at 4:30 because Jacob woke up she had Annie put a bottle in a cooler in the room so she even though again she wasn't supposed to get up she didn't want to wake up Mattie she grabbed it and ran the bottle under hot water to heat it up and Sat in the rocker with Jacob and fed him.

Matt moved in the bed and reached for Lisa, When she wasn't in the bed he sat up and turned the light on the table on his side of the bed.

"What are you doing up you are not supposed to be out of the bed" He got up walked over to her. Lisa had Jacob in her arms and he scooped the two of them up and lay her back in bed.

"I didn't want to wake you and he was hungry" she said

"next time wake me would you please" he scolded her

The kids got up a little while later ran downstairs saw that Santa had come and came running upstairs to wake the adults. The whole house was up by 5:30 Matt changed Jacob and brought him downstairs and put him in the baby swing he came up grabbed the camcorder and camera handed it to his mother for her to bring down and then lifted Lisa and carried her to the couch

Matt wanted Lisa to be as comfortable as possible so he wheeled her present in view but not to far away from a plug

"Lisa gets to open her big gift first because I think using it will make her more comfortable than she is now"

Matt helped her up and helped her get the red packaging off it

it was the massager chair

She kissed him "Its perfect"

He demonstrated how to use it after he sat her down and reclined it for her he turned on all the functions

"I am I heaven I may never move from this chair ever" she exclaimed

Everyone else opened all their presents then there were the 3 little boxes from Lisa to Matt and the kids

Lisa handed Ridge the camcorder so when Matt and the twins went to see their gift she would get to see the expression on their face when they saw it Then Ridged handed the boxes to Matt and the kids and they opened them

Matt opened his first and the kids were right behind them "Ok it says we have to go out the sliding glass back door for the gifts so the three of them along with most everyone else got up and headed to the back of the house

Lisa whispered to Ridge "I want their expression on film I know they wanted these" Ridge opened the blinds and opened the door and then he told them to close their eyes and he got into position the 4 of them walked out

Ridge told them "turn to your left" and then he looked in the camcorder lens and started to film again "Open your eyes"

"Oh my freakin God" Matt exclaimed and the kids erupted in happy shouts they looked Matt knew which one was his based on the size and the kids looked for their tags

"How awesome is this" Matt said then ran back in the house to thank Lisa. He leaned over and kissed her when he got in the room

"So you and the kids like them" Lisa asked

Emma and Ethan came in behind Matt. The three of them said "We love them thank you so much"

The rest of Matt's family came from the Kinkirks and the McFaddens joined them as well They even got a call from Richard and Rosina and to see how the baby was and to wish them Happy Holidays Rosina told Matt that she and Richard would be there for New Years since Sarah was doing better.

Later that afternoon everyone was happily visiting one another Matt was out with the kids and everyone was taking turns on the ATVs Jacob was in his swing next to Lisa Things were so busy in the house that Lisa had neglected to eat properly and hadn't tested herself at noon like she was suppose to Hannah was sitting feeding Kayla and looked over at Lisa she didn't look right.

**Lisa takes a turn for the worse**

"Becky, Crane look at Lisa is she OK look at her she is very pale she is shaking" Hannah said

"Lisa are you ok honey" Becky asked

"No I don't feel well my heart is racing and I have a headache and... before she finished she lost consciousness

Crane lifted her body out of the chair and lay her on the couch Adam saw what happened and ran outside for Matt

"Matt come quick Adam said as he got close to him "something is really wrong with Lisa"

Matt raced in the house with Adam. Lisa was white as a ghost Matt ran to in his office and grabbed the B/P cuff and the glucometer Matt took her B/P and it was extremely high and her sugar was 30 extremely low He put 2 gluco tabs under her tongue

"Crane I am taking her to the hospital help me get her to the explorer" Matt asked

"Keep everyone away from here and occupied outside the house

She slowly came around "Mattie ?" she whispered and tried to move

"Shhh lay still angel for just a minute more" Matt told her as he retook her sugar and her vitals "Hey Hannah can you get her some orange juice"

Hannah brought her some juice and Lisa sipped it slowly

"I don't feel well" she told him

"I know I am going to take you to the Hospital I am concerned about preeclampsia"

"But it's Christmas Mattie, I don't want to go today" She complained

"Well sorry sweetie you have no choice You passed out your sugar crashed and you have the beginnings of preeclampsia" Matt told her in a stern voice

Matt helped her put a coat on then carried her out to the car Hannah and Becky said until everyone came back to the house they would look after Jacob He had hoped that her condition could be managed because if not the babies would have to be delivered early and at just under 30 weeks was far too soon

Matt called ahead and they were there within 30 minutes and an orderly was waiting outside with a stretcher for her She was admitted to the OB floor immediately she was assessed to see how the disease was progressing. This included monitoring blood pressure and assessing the results of laboratory tests that indicate the condition of her kidneys, liver, or the ability of her blood to clot. They also tested to see how well the unborn babies were growing and/or if they seemed in danger she was given anti-hypertensive drugs, and steroids to help the babies lungs develop in the event she needed to deliver them soon

She would have to stay at the hospital for the remainder of her pregnancy Richard and Rosina arrived a couple of days later and helped with everything around the house Everyone visited Lisa as much as they could, she was never left alone in the hospital Most of the family stayed through the New Year then on the January 1st all of Lisa's family except her dad had to go back to New York her dad would stay for the remainder of Lisa's pregnancy and for sometime after they were born. Most of Matt's family headed home to except Annie and Sam and David, Richard went home as well but Rosina stayed

Lisa's condition deteriorated to the point they believed that delivery was imminent. She was med-flighted to Renown Hospital in Reno as a precaution because they had a Level 2 NICU The next few weeks were very much up and down for Lisa. Matt couldn't be with her all the time he had his work and responsibilities at home Lisa's Dad spent most days with her while the kids were at school so she wouldn't get lonely It was still hard on her She wanted to go home she missed everyone especially Jacob

The morning of her birthday January 19th she had a lot of visitors the kids were supposed to be there in the afternoon after school so they could have a little birthday celebration but that didn't happen

"Daddy can you go and get me a ginger ale"

After he left to go down the hall the phone rang

Lisa answered the phone "Hello"

"Are you in the room alone "It was a voice Lisa never expected in a million years to hear

"Yes Mum I am" She responded

"Well I am surprised you father isn't with you fawning all over you, You're the reason he wants a divorce it's all your fault" she screamed at Lisa

"Daddy never told me that he just said you two were taking a break for a little bit" She said as she sobbed

"Well that's a lie I just got served with papers today How perfect on your birthday too. I am loosing my husband because of you I never should have allowed you in the house after that bitch died giving birth to you but I wanted you father back so I agreed"

"What are you saying mum" Lisa said

"I am not your mum YOU are the result of an affair your father had but since I am no longer worried about loosing your father I guess it doesn't matter that you know now" Stephanie told her

Lisa was so shaken she didn't know what to say she just dropped the phone to the floor

"Hello...hello are you still there you little bitch" when she got no response she hung up phone

Lisa was extremely shaken her father noticed as he walked in the room

"Lisa what's wrong?" her father asked

Lisa then got very pale and said Daddy call the Nurse, then she fell unconscious and had a seizure

Lisa was only was 33 and a half weeks pregnant the nurse gave her medication to stop the seizure and when the nurse took her blood pressure, it was through the roof Matt was at his office in Truckee 45 minutes away when he got the call from the hospital that Lisa's condition was rapidly deteriorating. By the time he got there Dr Bethel advised him that an Emergency C section would have to be performed if they couldn't get her symptoms under control with in the next few hours she was administered magnesium sulfate and it was not effective

Matt called his mother and she picked up the phone " Hi Matt what's going on is everything ok?" his mother asked

"No mom it's not can you make some calls and let people know Lisa will be having a C Section today thank God she is at Renown because of the level 2 NICU

"Oh Matt isn't there anything they can do to prevent this" Annie asked

"We are doing out best But it is getting to dangerous for Lisa and the babies if we wait much longer she could have a stroke that's how high her blood pressure is the only thing that we can do is deliver the babies. "

"I will call everyone. Do you want Emma and Ethan to come to the hospital I think they are old enough?" she said

"Yeah mom bring them Lisa will want to see them" Matt replied

" Ok well Becky is here with Billy so I will leave her and Rosina here with Jacob and Sam and David and head on over to the hospital I will call your father, who can call everyone else." she said "We will be there in about an hour

"And Lisa's dad is calling her side of the family to let them know what it going on" Matt told her

Lisa was prepped for surgery Matt saw her as they were doing do

"It will be fine There are 3 pediatric teams heading to the OR now and I will be in with you right beside your head, but since I am your husband I can't even assist. Dr Bethel and Dr Jacobson will do the C section


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

**Emergency C Section**

Lisa was wheeled into the OR and turned on her side and the Epidural was administered. She was set up and draped and the surgical team and pediatric teams in the room Matt was came in and was seated on a stool by her head

Lisa's vitals were not good rapid heart rate and B/P 190/110 and climbing

The surgical team proceeded to start the C-section

By this time Most of Matt's family was at the hospital Annie, Eric C and Eric F paced the hospital floor Eric F Lisa's dad was quite shaken up but not saying much

"I know you are worried about your daughter Eric, but she will be ok" Annie told Lisa's father

**Lets get this show on the road**

It looks like we are ready to get this show on the road Dr Bethel said as he tested her to make sure she was numb before making the incision as Dr Bethel cut deeper he opened Lisa's Uterus and reached in and had The first baby out Baby Boy A with in 2 minutes

"It's a boy and listen to him scream what a good set of lungs he was handed of to the first Pediatric Neonatology team

Dr Jacobson had a hold of the 2nd baby and had her out within a matter of minutes Baby girl B and she was handed of to the second Pediatric Neonatology team The last baby was out 2 minutes later Baby girl C all babies had healthy lungs Baby C was handed of to the third Pediatric Neonatology team From initial exams they seemed to be doing all fine

**Baby A** was 4lbs 13 oz. Zachary Eric Camden **Baby B** 4lbs 10 oz. Alexis Faith Camden and** Baby C** Leah Joy Camden was the smallest 4lbs 8oz. All three were born with in 10 minutes on Lisa's birthday January 19th

Since the babies were stable they were put in protective isolettes and wheeled to the NICU

Matt was relieved that so far they seemed to be doing well. It was his wife they were worrying about. her B/P had climbed to 210/110 he didn't want her to have a seizure or a stroke

"Now that the babies are out Lisa needs medicine to get blood pressure down get magnesium sulfate into her stat Matt told the other doctors they all agreed that was the best course of action so she was given it IV push

Lisa was pumped with the medicine and now coming off the anesthesia and suddenly she felt extremely nauseated

"Matt I am going to be sick I think"

"Ok Baby hang on he grabbed an emesis basin and helped her turn her head and she was sick, after she finished she felt a little better The doctors finished closing her incision and once they felt she was stable enough to move she was wheeled into the recovery room

Matt walked to the NICU to check on his 3 new little ones he walked through the waiting area to see his family assembled

"How are the babies" Lisa's father asked

"Well for triplets being born at 33 weeks and 4 days all over 4 pounds they are good and so far all breathing on their own I am going to check on them now" Matt said

"What about my daughter, She looked so pale and shaky going into surgery she is really stressing out about something. " Eric F said

Over the hospital intercom system Code Blue 3rd floor recovery stat Code Blue 3rd floor recovery Stat

"Oh my god That's where Lisa is" Matt ran to get to the recovery room "Oh please don't let it be Lisa but if it is her Please let her be ok please god"

Matt ran into the recovery room and it was indeed his wife"Oh my god what happened" as he tried to get to his wife but he was only getting in the way

The staff held him back and told him that her blood pressure came down too fast and she had a seizure and then her heart stopped

Matt dropped to his knees in tears "Oh God please don't let me lose her not after finally finding her I need her she is the other half of my soul"

After 20 minutes she was finally stabilized her heart was in a good rhythm, but she was having difficulty maintaining breathing so she was intubated and put on a respirator Lisa hadn't regained consciousness yet. Matt followed the orderly as she was wheeled to the 4th floor ICU Where she would be closely monitored

Matt stopped briefly to tell everyone what happened and that she wasn't out of the woods yet

Matt barely left her side except to occasionally go to the NICU to see the babies who were doing so well. Lisa finally stabilized enough to be taken off the ventilator and 3 days later she regained she opened her eyes briefly.

She was very weak she barely regained consciousness not enough to be coherent anyway for the next 3 days Finally on the 7th day in ICU she started to wake up it was January 26th by now.

Matt was asleep in the chair next to her with his head on her chest She opened her eyes and stroked his hair and in a raspy voice "Mattie?" he moved a little "Mattie?" The second time she called his name he lifted his head and looked at her. "Are you ok Mattie you look terrible"

"Me your worried about me?" he laughed as he said it "I am Ok it is you we have been worried about I am so glad you are awake gave us all quite a scare, how are you feeling?" he asked her

Then she remembered her conversation with the woman she had always thought of as her mother and her eyes welled up with tears and then she closed her eyes

"Honey are you in pain?" he said and reached over to hold her she lay there limp not doing anything but crying

"Shhh baby its ok I know you being in the ICU is scary and your worried about the babies but they are really all ok they are in the NICU and you are so much better now I was told as long as you remained stable and woke up ok you could be moved to the maternity floor Hey and look at these" He pulled out pictures of the babies still in the NICU"

"Lisa cried as she looked at them "Beautiful so beautiful I want to see them" she told him still sobbing

"Well again lets see how you do in a regular room and getting showered if you do OK with all of that I can arrange for you to be wheeled to the NICU ok" Matt told her

An hour later she was wheeled into a regular room on the maternity floor Matt helped her shower and walk just a little bit but she was still very weak and she was allowed a clear liquid diet by the afternoon she was wheeled into the NICU to hold her babies for the first time. Matt lifted her into the rocking chair.

Matt was worried Lisa was too quiet he had never seen her this way , he had seen many patients with post partum depression but it usually didn't come on this quickly and it usually didn't manifest like this He watched her as she held each baby she held on to them for dear life. She was able to nurse each baby for about 5 minutes each After an hour or so Lisa was tired so she handed baby Leah over to Her mother in law and Matt put her back in the wheelchair and wheeled her back to her room and lifted her into bed and she rolled over on her side not facing Matt.

He crawled in bed with her upon touching her she was shaking , she was crying silently

"Oh baby please tell me what's wrong I can't help you if I don't know what is upsetting you so much

**Stephanie Forester**

Stephanie kept tabs on Lisa condition she knew she couldn't get near her if she was in the ICU so finally when she got word that Lisa was in fact going to make it and would be transferred to a private room she made her plans"She is going to know all the trouble she had caused and she should have to pay for this its too bad she didn't die when her mother did it would have made life so simple" Stephanie said to herself as she boarded the forester Jet for Reno and she patted her handbag good thing you are not searched to get on your own private jet

**Back at the hospital**

" I need you to get my dad I have to talk to him" Lisa said through her tears

"Ok baby anything to help you of course I will, I will be right back I will go and get him"

Lisa was lost in thought, thinking about THAT phone call the phone call that made her whole life feel like a lie, her face was buried in her hands crying when Matt brought her dad in

" Oh baby girl shhh don't cry" he told her "what's the matter?"

She looked over to Matt

"Do you want me to step out of the room honey?" Matt asked

"You don't mind do you this is between Daddy and me I don't know if it something he wants everyone to know or not"

"Ok I will go back to the NICU and be back in a little while" he said as he kissed her and closed the door behind him

"Ok my baby girl what has you so upset" her dad asked her

"I got a call before I had the babies from..., God I don't even know what to call her now." She said as she started to cry again "but at least I know why she hates me why she has always hated me"

Eric sat back and was pretty sure he knew who Lisa was talking about, but he asked the question anyway " Who baby girl?"

"Your soon to be ex wife "

"Oh Lisa , no she called you?'' What did she say?" Eric F. asked her

"I think you know daddy Why didn't you tell me?" she asked

"Oh honey when your mother and I decided to divorce you were in a delicate condition I spoke with your brothers and sister and we felt we should wait to tell you that bit of information until after the babies were born" he replied

"I understand about that but... you never told me... she hesitated "Daddy tell me about my birth mother all I know is I was the result of an affair and she died in child birth, did you love her?"

Eric sank in his chair "Oh my god I can't believe even Stephanie would stoop so low as to tell you about Elizabeth Henderson, I was leaving Stephanie at the time for Elizabeth we had lawyers and were in the process of a divorce Elizabeth was not just an affair or a fling I loved her very much I was going to marry her"

Lisa listened for a while as her father told her about her biological mother and told her he was sorry for never telling her before but at the time he thought it was the best thing to do for her protection especially since he had stayed married to Stephanie.

"So the shock of what she told you caused you to have a seizure I am so sorry honey"

"I guess it makes sense why Stephanie hates me It actually is a relief to know that she isn't my real mother to tell you the truth, although she still blames me for the trouble in you marriage.

"Well honey the mistake I made was not divorcing her years ago" her dad told her "You know I have in my New York home actually in the guest house out back where I had been staying I have pictures of Elizabeth. Next time I go back there I will get them for you"

"I would like to see them daddy" Lisa told him "Do my brothers and sister know I am only their half sister?"

"I really don't know , but I don't think so

They were still talking when Matt came back in the room

"Your not crying now are you ok" he said as he crossed the room sat on her bed and took her in his arms

"I think I am" Lisa said, a lot of things make sense now that didn't before

"Do I dare ask?" Matt said

"Uhm I don't know if..." Lisa started to say

Lisa's dad interrupted "It's ok for Matt to know I just don't want anyone else yet to know" Eric F said as he got up and closed the door and told Matt everything and how Lisa came to find out

"Oh my god no wonder you were so upset and no wonder you went in to distress and had to have the emergency C-section, What the hell was Stephanie thinking?"

"All she wanted to do was hurt me I think, I feel better after talking to daddy" she looked at her father and squeezed his hand "Knowing that Stephanie is not my real mother and never wanted me makes her despising me a bit easier to live with I was a constant reminder of Daddy being in love with someone else"

"That still didn't give her the right to treat you the way she did, she could have learned to love you if she had opened her heart, Look at how you love Jacob" Matt told her

"Yes I do love Jacob, I miss him so much I can't wait until I can hold him again he must have grown so much, I hope he hasn't forgotten me."

"Actually because you have delivered and are doing so much better I got permission from the hospital and Richard and Rosina will be bringing him in tomorrow which is Sunday"

"And the best thing is I will be able to nurse him again" Lisa said happily

**Sunday**

With Lisa doing so much better she was allowed more visitors the doctors were still concerned about her blood pressure and were treating her for it so she would have to stay a few more days at least Emma and Ethan came in for a visit along with her brothers and sister Rosina and Richard brought in Jacob and Lisa was able to nurse him After she was done she held him for a couple of hours and he fell asleep in her arms she was sad that he had to go home. But they promised they would bring him back tomorrow

After they left Lisa was wheeled to the NICU where she bonded with Zach Lexa and little Leah.

"I want to take turns nursing all of them a bit" Lisa said

She nursed each of them for 10 minutes and then they were supplemented with bottles They were doing well enough that they were eating well and maintaining their own body heat pretty well and not having any breathing difficulties

Matt and Lisa Met with the babies Neonatologists on the their conditions the two primary doctors were Dr April Henry and Dr Stephen Missall

"All your babies are doing phenomenally well and may only need another week or two to be in here The all have to weight at least 5 lbs. and be able to pass the car seat test once they can do that you will be able to take them home" Dr Henry said

"Of course all 3 will need apnea monitors but other than that they should be able to go home as any other newborn Dr Missall added

Matt was pretty much having Dr Willoughby completely fill in for him during since the crisis on Lisa's Birthday But thought he should at least go to work a little so he could be home more once Lisa and the babies got home

He headed home Monday morning promising to be back later with Jacob but to call if she needed anything

She visited with her dad for a while and her brothers were in to visit as well while they were visiting Ridge got a call from the Kristen, he excused himself and took the call.

"He came back in the room dad we need to talk Thorne you stay here and visit with Sissy for a while" He pulled his dad out into the hallway "That was Kristen mom has disappeared she took off in the jet"

"Ridge your mother and I are divorcing you know that what she does or doesn't do isn't my concern anymore" Eric F told him

"Kristen called the Pilot he took mom to the Reno airport on the 26th" Ridge told him

"Oh god what is that woman thinking I want the Reno police notified and Lisa is not to ever be left alone We need to make Matt aware in case she tries something at the ranch with the kids but it is really Lisa I am worried about. I don't want Lisa told although I want someone with her at all times until you mother is found"

Ok dad we will keep Sissy safe Ridge said Let me sit with her while you tell Thorne and then call not only Matt but the Reno police.

"Is everything alright Ridge Why did daddy pull out Thorne so quickly who was on the phone?"

"Oh it was Kristen some big issues with the company, nothing for you to worry about"

"Well ok if your sure"

They went on chit chatting about the babies and all the kids Out in the hall Eric filled Thorne in

" I can't believe she is pulling this. Doesn't she know she will go to jail if she comes anywhere near her." Thorne said

" I don't think she cares, "Well I have some calls to make you go keep you sister company Ridge will tell her Kristen called but it is just company business I don't want her to know"

"Ok dad" Thorne said as he walked back in the room.

The first call Eric made was to hospital security, he explained the situation and that there was an active restraining order however it was in Truckee just over the border in California then he called Reno PD and told then the same thing ,

They under stood and normally California law and Nevada law didn't cross state lines but since Lisa was only in Nevada because she was hospitalized Police department would only need Lisa's Husband to sign a release in Truckee and the restraining order would be in effect in Reno as well in the meantime they would keep put out an APB on Stephanie Forester to make sure she came nowhere near the Hospital

Now the difficult call to Matt Eric it was lunch time Eric hope he wasn't with a patient he dialed Matt's cell

Matt was sitting down to eat when his cellphone rang he saw the Id it was his father in law

"Hey dad what's up how is my sweet wife?"

"For the moment safe and we will plan to keep her that way"

"Is there a reason she isn't safe" Matt said with marked concern in his voice

"Yes there may be" Eric F told him and went on to explain the situation and that Stephanie is in Reno somewhere and her whereabouts unknown. He explained that he called hospital security and the Reno PD and that Matt needed to go to the Truckee Sheriff and sign a release so the info could be forwarded to the Reno Chief of police

"Ok I will do that now" Matt said " I don't want Lisa to know about this she doesn't need any more stress but promise me someone will be with her at all times."

"Don't worry son we will make sure she is kept safe"

Matt took care of signing the paperwork in California to make sure the restraining order would also protect Lisa in Reno while she was in the hospital then he called the Reno PD and explained who he was and the chief of police spoke to him an assured Matt that they would do everything in their power to keep Lisa safe but even if they found Stephanie in Reno they couldn't arrest her unless she did anything

Eric F Spoke more with hospital security he asked them too put extra security on and he would pay for it Lisa's room was right near the nurses station and until she was discharged there would be a security officer there 24/7 and also one in the NICU

Matt had Dr Willoughby finish with the patients he was scheduled to see today and got in the explorer to take the 45 minute drive back to Renown in Reno he didn't want Emma and Ethan to go incase there were to be an incident with Stephanie

**Stephanie**

Stephanie had been in town since the Saturday the 26th she went and bought some nurses scrubs so maybe when she went into the hospital Monday she wouldn't be noticed she had called earlier and found out that Lisa was in room 315 maternity floor

When she got to the hospital as luck would have it one of the employees who just happened to be a nurse dropped her ID badge and the woman in the photo was younger but blond but it did open secured doors in the hospital that's all that mattered she put the Lanyard holding the ID around her neck and proceeded to the maternity floor patting her pocket where it was hidden safely away

"_If I could just get past the security guard at the desk_" she thought to herself then she saw Thorn and Ridge leave Lisa's room and she ducked in another patient's room before they had a chance to see her and ended up emptying a bed pan

She went back into the hallway and heard Matt and Eric F talking in the hallway

"You have been here all day why don't you take a break dad, at least go to the cafeteria with Thorne and Ridge and maybe bring me back some food I am actually going to take Lisa to the NICU again she wants to nurse them, I just have to head over there now to make sure it is a good time to take her there"

Lisa's dad went to the cafeteria and Matt told the security officer he would be back shortly he was just going to the NICU, and to make sure Lisa's room was watched and the door stay open until he got back

Matt walked down the hall leaving Lisa alone Stephanie saw here was her chance she had to wait another 5 minutes before the security guard was distracted with something else, then she got her chance and went into Lisa's room and closed the door

"Are you here to take my vitals ag... "Lisa started to say and then stopped when she realized who it was she went to push the call button

"Not so fast" Stephanie said as she pulled out the gun "Do you know how you have ruined my life since the day you were conceived. We were rid of you for a while then you had to come back and cause trouble now my marriage is over so now your life is over Stephanie said as she cocked the gun"

"Oh please don't do this I have 6 children who need me and you don't want to go to jail, just leave and I wont tell anyone you showed up" Lisa begged

Matt came back from the NICU and asked the security guard why the door was closed The guard hadn't even noticed but came around the desk to go in before Matt when the door opened it startled Stephanie who turned and fired a shot toward the guard and it gave Lisa and Matt time to react and jump on Stephanie and they all struggled with the gun and it went off and all the security guard see was a massive amount of blood and the gun dropped as emergency medical personnel swarmed the room.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21**

**Who was shot**

Matt moved off Lisa and Stephanie and saw the massive amount of blood and panicked Lisa moved he checked her out

"Oh thank God you are ok baby" Matt said

Then he looked at Stephanie and covered Lisa's eyes so she wouldn't see When the gun went of Stephanie was shot right it the head it had killed her instantly

Lisa's Father and Brothers had come back to the floor to see all the commotion with the security officers and the police but they weren't allowed in the room Stephanie's body had been placed on a stretcher and covered in a white sheet to be brought to the morgue .When Eric F. and Lisa's Brothers saw it they assumed it was Lisa and Eric fell to his knees and Matt came out just as he did

He saw that Matt wasn't hysterical "If your not hysterical then that couldn't have been my baby girl" Eric said

"No it wasn't" Matt told them "Maybe you should come in here and sit" Matt guided them into the room

"Oh baby girl" her dad said as he went to hold her

"I can't believe she is dead she said as she looked past her dad to her brothers "I am so sorry I didn't want it to happen this way she came here to kill me, she would have too if Matt and the security guard didn't open the door and startle her Matt and I both jumped her to get the gun away from her and the gun went off "

Although Ridge and Thorne were devastated at the loss of their mother they knew it wasn't Lisa and Matt's fault and didn't blame them but how to tell the rest of the family and their kids Ridge and Thorne went to make the appropriate calls When new of who the gunman was leaked it would make national news and the family had to be told before word got out

Lisa, Matt and the security guard talked to the police as Eric F waited outside the room,but Matt could see that Lisa had enough after a while and he asked them if they could continue this later

All Lisa wanted to do was see her babies and feed them so Eric wheeled her to the NICU and stayed with her while Matt called his family to let them know about what happened because it was probably all over the news by now

KTVN channel 2 Reno Tahoe news was all over the story by the time Matt called the ranch his mother Annie answered the phone

"Oh Matt thank God its all over the news about the shooting at Renown in Reno on the Maternity floor"

"Is that daddy" Emma asked

"Is Mama OK" Ethan asked

"Tell them Mama is fine he is with grampy and he wheeled her to the NICU to feed the babies, Annie told them what Matt told her " But don't tell them what I am about to tell you, Lisa is pretty shaken up." Matt said

Yes I can imagine, the news said the identity of the intended victim is unknown and the identity of the shooter remained unknown Annie told him

"Well as you can pretty well guess, it was Stephanie who came into the hospital with the intent to kill Lisa God I cant even believe that phrase just came out of my mouth." He told her exactly what happened including the struggle and how the gun went off.

"Oh my god Matt you and Lisa could have been killed, I am going to let the family know but not in full detail well except for your father I don't want them to freak out."

"I will let you know when it is OK to visit at the hospital again right now it is a media circus and the police are everywhere" Matt said

"I will be staying at the hospital tonight Lisa is still very shaken up and overwhelmed." I will call you in the morning Give Emma Ethan and Jacob a kiss for me I am going to go to the NICU now Love you mom"

"Love you too and I will call your cell later to talk to you and Lisa if she is up to it. Bye Matt"

Matt walked down the hall past the police and some reporters who tried to get a statement from him he went to the NICU and was buzzed in Lisa was nursing Leah when he went in and Lisa's dad was giving Zachary a bottle

Matt gowned up and picked up Alexis and sat with her in the rocker and the nurse handed him a bottle and he fed her The 3 of them were very quiet except for talking to the babies they were all in a state of shock

After an hour or so all babies were put in there bassinets and Lisa was wheeled back to the maternity ward she was put in a different room her old room had police tape that cordoned off the room

Eric C and Annie called that night to check to see how Lisa was and told them they would check in the morning to see how things were and if they should visit or not

**Tuesday** Matt awoke to his cell ringing

"Hello, Matt said in a groggy voice

"Matt, it's mom I just wanted to let you know somehow the media knows the family's Identity and where the ranch is we are swamped with the media here KTVN channel 2 and KOLO channel 8. We called Kevin and he called some others from the sheriff department and got them off the property but they are at the gate_"_

"Oh no how the heck did that happen? Mom I think you should keep Emma and Ethan home and maybe you should think about keeping Sam and David home too," Matt said

"Yeah we have already decided to do that.

"Good maybe you should stay home today I know Lisa wouldn't want the kids to face the media. I know they both want to come to the hospital but it is a hot spot here too I hope it dies down by the end of the week Lisa and the babies my be discharged by the end of the week and that's all we would need is to bring home preemie triplets with that kind of circus.

Lisa's father and the rest of the family gave statements to the media and helped Matt to deal with it to, The Foresters given the nature of the business they were in had a lot of experience dealing with the media and scandal although never this severe. The real story was never given out to protect the not just the business but the grandchildren as well

Once the media were given what they wanted the press died down so by the time Lisa and the babies were all discharged on January 31st they didn't have to deal with it.

All the babies were over the 5 pound requirement and could pass the car seat test The only thing they were sent home with as a precaution was an apnea monitor

Stephanie's body had been released and flown back to New York were the family had a VERY private service and for obvious reasons Lisa and Matt didn't attend but they also had the excuse for the public that well she just came home from the hospital with Triplets.

It was anything BUT normal back at Camden's Crossing dealing with 4 babies but it was happy Luckily they had all the help in the world to deal with 4 babies.

* * *

PLEASE LOOK FOR THE CONTINUING SAGA IN THE FAMILY IN MY NEXT INSTALLMENT CAMDEN'S CROSSING


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